Flicker
by Warrior Nun
Summary: (adopted from KudaKano and reuploaded) Years after the Battle in Burgess, a new enemy named Flicker appeared and caused trouble to the Guardians. But for some reason, he held a dangerous obsession towards Jack Frost. Like the flame, feelings of desire will flicker and arise.
1. Chapter 1: Attack on Tooth Palace

Ok, in case there are people panicking out there, I didn't delete this story. For some odd reason, the Admins of this site decided to remove this alongside with my other stories from fandoms of _BLEACH_ and _Saiyuki_. While some are acceptable losses,_ Flicker_ is among them that was taken off. If this continues, and my profile will eventually be taken off, you know where to find me on either deviantArt or Archive of Our Own. They're not like , but they have to do.

And as I said before: This is an adopted fanfiction originally penned by KudaKano. Some changes have been made to make the story flow a better and there will be some references from the original book series, Guardians of Childhood and the film adaptation. I will try my best to keep in the mythos of this story as soon as I hit the 12th chapter mark.

Rise of the Guardians (c) DreamWorks and William Joyce

Flicker (both story and titular antagonist) (c) originally penned by KudaKano

Pairing(s): JackRabbit/BunnyFrost (Bunny/Jack) ; Onesided BenneFrost and OC/Jack Frost

**Warning: This fanfiction may contain slash and/or boy on boy action, forms of violence, sexuality, strong language and things of that nature. If these themes are uncomfortable, please press the back button and leave no comment. **

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><p>Chapter 1: Attack on the Tooth Palace<p>

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><p>Toothiana loved her job now more than ever.<p>

After collecting teeth with Jack and the other guardians, she realized just how much she missed seeing all the children as they slept in their beds, waiting for the Tooth Fairy to exchange their teeth for a shiny coin.

And now she was there herself, collecting teeth while fondly watching the children sleep.

She allowed herself a few moments to smile and gaze upon the little face of a sleeping Japanese toddler who just lost her first baby tooth. Lost from the first bite of an apple to be precise…

_Such a precious thing, she takes such good care of her teeth,_ she thought. _So young too, and she already flosses on a daily basis._

The moment was ruined however as one of her mini fairies zipped in hurriedly through the window, accidentally knocking into the glass before flying frantically in front of Tooth's face.

"What is it?! Shouldn't you be on your way to Brazil?!" she whispered in a scolding tone.

The little fairy hovered up to murmur in her ear and Tooth's eyes widened at what she had to say.

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><p>Punjam Hy Loo was in chaos.<p>

Mini fairies flew around frantically as balls of fire blasted against the pillars, leaving the once beautiful pink designs burned in black. The culprit in question strolled merrily along as if the destruction that he is causing is a walk in a park. Fire arose from his body as he admired the palace's design.

"What a beautiful place," his voice was low and raspy, smoke escaped from his throat with each word. "A bit too much water than I would prefer though…" he added as he looked down one of the ledges to peer at the waterfalls below.

A swarm of mini fairies were trying to distract him by pecking at his face, but he would simply release a wave of fire around himself with a swipe of his arm, forcing them to flee each time to avoid the flames. The man laughed viciously as he watched a few of the fairies' feathers burn up while flying away. He shot his hand out and managed to catch one of them between his fingers by the wings and examined her, calming his flames around his being as he wrapped his fingers around her.

"Now calm down, little bee," he cooed softly. "I just want one thing. If you show me where it is, and I promise I'll leave you little ladies all alone."

The said mini fairy, which happened to be Baby Tooth, struggled against the man's hot and burning grasp.

The man let out a mocking click of his tongue as he smiled. "Stop struggling now, just be a good girl and show me where I can find Jack Frost's memories."

Baby Tooth's mismatched eyes widened at the mention of her best friend's name, causing her to struggle harder as she tried with all of her might to escape the cage of hot fingers around her. Her efforts seemed to amuse her captor when he laughed, until a loud and commanding voice echoed throughout the palace.

"And just what do you want with those?"

The flaming man turned around to see the Tooth Fairy herself, floating high above him as she glared down at him angrily. A smile stretched his lips as he faced her.

"Ah, there she is! The flying peacock with all the answers I need!" he crowed.

Tooth continued to glare at him as a result, looking unamused. She had never seen this man before it was clear that he wasn't human. He had ear-length red hair that jutted out at the sides; his attire of a tattered orange sleeveless shirt and a pair of baggy blue jeans with black boots poking out. From what she could see above, he seemed to be as tall as Bunny and had flames dancing off of his hair and shoulders.

When he grinned up to her, she noted that he had golden-yellow eyes that reminded her too much of a certain shadow dweller. Maybe it was because of the fact that there is some odd mixture of easy-going and sadism within them.

"Who are you? And what do you want with the memories?" she had to tread carefully, the strange man looked very powerful, and Tooth was smart enough to not to tamper with fire. However, she wasn't about to let some stranger waltz in and do harm to any of the teeth or her fairies.

The man responded by barking out a laugh. "It doesn't matter who I am," he looked completely at ease as he leaned back against a pillar with his hand in his pocket. "It's only _Jack Frost's_ memories that I care about."

Tooth furrowed her brows as she took in this information.

_Why is this man interested in Jack?_

She decided to worry about that later as she glared down at him. "The memories can only be seen by the ones they belong to. You have no right to be here." Her voice was firm and threatening, she didn't need to raise it in order to get her point across. She wasn't known as the queen for nothing.

The man listened as his casual smile faded to a frown and his easy going expression turned into a glare. Tooth didn't falter as she hovered about.

"Now leave this instant or I won't go easy on you." It was more of a promise than a threat.

Tooth noticed that the flames on his shoulders grew a bit as the man had a look of irritation. It seemed that the flames around him react more to his emotions than his movements. What she didn't expect was him holding up a something in his hand. Her eyes widened with horror when she realized that he has one of her fairies, Baby Tooth, and she was getting some nasty burns on her tiny body as she struggled in the man's fist.

The man reveled at her reaction, going as far as giving the poor fairy a good squeeze while petting her tiny head with his finger, which is on fire.

Baby Tooth shirked in pain, kick-starting Tooth's instant reaction to fly forward but only halted when the man held a flaming fist above the fairy's body. A snarl marred her features as she backed away a bit, not wanting to have one of her fairies harmed any further.

This somehow made the man smile with satisfaction, while keeping his flaming fist over Baby Tooth.

"Now then…nobody has to get hurt, just show me where I can-"

WHAM!

The man was cut off as a giant ball of ice slammed hard into his side, sending him flying off the ledge. Baby Tooth quickly zipped out of his grasp and landed into the palm of Jack Frost, who floated downwards from above the palace until his bare feet touched the pink mosaic floor.

"Oh, Jack!" Tooth smiled as she flew towards him, wanting to hug the daylights out of him. But she stopped short when she saw him glaring at the fallen man; which the said flaming man was now standing on a hovering fireball, looking up at Jack with a smug smirk.

"Are you ok, Baby Tooth?" Jack asked as he turned his gaze to the burnt fairy upon his palm.

Baby Tooth nodded her head, sighing in delight as Jack's hand cooled her aching burns. He then gently set her into Tooth's hands as she flew up to his side with a worried expression.

"Just leave this guy to me, Tooth." He reassured her.

Tooth nodded and watched as he walked off the edge and hovered in front of the enemy. She noticed that there a cold wind along with snow had picked up around them at Jack's entrance. She examined Baby Tooth to see how bad her injuries are, finding that they are not life-threating before turning her gaze back at Jack.

He had gotten so much stronger in his few years as guardian. Already, he had millions of believers all around the world and his strength was amazing. If Pitch were to fight Jack now, the Nightmare King wouldn't stand a chance.

The flaming man straightened himself up and adjusted his shirt as he continued to balance on his ball of fire.

"What's wrong, Jack? Are you still mad that I melted your snow?" his tone was teasing, almost reminding her of Jack's but more on a sinister edge.

The latter stared at him coolly, looking not once amused. "The snow has been replaced," he simply responded, aiming his staff at the other man's head as he glared at him.

"Now I'm bad because you hurt my friend!" Jack's staff glowed and shot out a bright streak of ice towards the man.

Panic washed over the flaming spirit as he quickly leapt off of the fireball, which immediately went out as soon as the ice struck it. He soon recovered though as his legs and feet formed into flames, allowing him to hover in place like a rocket. That didn't faze him as the man grinned up sadistically at Jack.

Tooth shuddered at the sight but not from the cold.

_That look…why is he looking at Jack like that? _

The flaming man was eyeing Jack's body, running his gaze from the snow spirit's face down to the bottom of his feet and back up. He seemed to be hungry…that is the closest thing that she could describe it. Tooth's feathers ruffled in worry before glancing over to Jack, but he didn't seem at all distracted by the latter's expression at the moment.

"I forgave you for melting my snow and destroying my icelings, but if you hurt anyone else…I'll blow you out like a candle!"

It had been a long time since Tooth had seen Jack as angry as he was now. Though to be fair, it had been awfully calm since the Battle in Burgess.

"Oh….Jack Frost is gonna put me out!" Tooth was still puzzled by this man and his behavior. He didn't speak at all mockingly at Jack, if anything he seemed excited at the statement and his ember-colored eyes seemed to glow even brighter. The cool wind grew stronger around them and the flaming spirit's grin melted as he looked around. Frost and ice grew around the surroundings and slowly cause his flames to diminish. He seemed to be having trouble maintaining altitude as his flaming feet burned out against the wind.

Jack wasn't kidding…he really was going to put him out.

The man smiled at Jack again, only this time faking innocence.

"Come on, Jackie! I just got lost…I was exploring and somehow ended up at the Tooth Fairy's place. I couldn't help but take a look at-"

He was cut off again as soon as a giant icicle barely missed his head.

Jack was already formed more as behind him, ready to strike them through the man's body. The flame spirit huffed and sunk down lower.

"Ok, you're mad, I get it," he spoke, holding his hands up as a universal sign of peace. "But you'll forgive me later!" He quickly ducked as a shard of ice went sailing for his head, then his he shot downwards and towards the east, melting into the darkness of the mountains nearby.

Jack would have shot forward to follow him, if it weren't for Tooth calling out his name. He stared at the mountains for a moment, making sure that the man in question had really disappeared before flying back up to the palace. When he set himself a good landing spot, Jack didn't had time to brace for Tooth's surprise hug, which he didn't mind as he smiled and returned the hug.

"It's ok now," he reassured her. "Is everyone alright?" Jack looked around as the mini fairies swarmed around them. Some of them had blackened, burnt feathers but thankfully they were flying just fine.

"They're all ok," Tooth replied as she examined her fairy army before turning to him with concern. "Jack…did you know that person?"

Jack looked at Baby Tooth, who flown into his hand, chilling the palm of his hand to sooth her burns, earning a soft sigh of relief as she snuggled against it.

"Kind of," he admitted. "He calls himself Flicker. He's been harassing me for months now, melting my ice and stuff…but I never thought that he would do anything like this." He gestured to the interior of the palace; the pink mosaic designs and golden structure were both tarnished in black marks from the fire.

Jack sighed as he turned to Tooth apologetically. "I'm sorry, I should have told you guys about him from the start."

Tooth smiled at him reassuringly before hugging him again. "Oh, don't even apologize! I'm just grateful that you came here to stop him. I can't say I have a lot of experience with fire." Then she pulled away and placed a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm, Flicker…I never heard of anyone by that name."

"Where do you think he come from, Tooth?" Jack asked as he made sure that Baby Tooth was cooled enough to fly back to rejoin her sisters.

"I don't know, but if he is going to cause trouble to the guardians, we should go and speak with the others."

Jack seemed to be unsure about her suggestion as he looked around. "You don't want to stay and take care of things here?"

Tooth waved her hand as she shook her head in response. "The palace will be alright, the fairies will take care of things for a while," Her expression became serious when she faced Jack. "But right now, my duty as a guardian is more important."

The winter sprite nodded in understanding before holding his staff up. It began to glowing blue at the very tip of the hook and slowly a small bird made out of ice formed then broke off as it left behind a sound that reminded Tooth of a glass chipping before it began flying around them in circles. She watched the small creature in amazement. Ever since Jack became a guardian, he started to make animals of all kinds out of ice. Needless to say, she admired his new ability.

As soon as it hovered in place before Jack, he gently touched its beak with his finger and it suddenly changed direction, heading downwards into the mountains below.

"I sent it to fetch Bunnymund," he explained before turning to her. "Can you get Sandy?"

Tooth nodded and spoke to one of her fairies before she flew off into the sky, and then she turned to the rest of the fairies.

"Alright, girls, let's get our feathers together! I need ten of you in Brazil and five in London!" She continued to bark orders, listing off different kinds of teeth that were located in either streets or countries. Occasionally placed caution on the weather condition. Jack waited for her to finish before she hovered in front of him in excitement.

"To the North Pole then!"

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><p>The flaming spirit grumbled to himself as he rested his chin on one of his palms, watching Jack talk to that annoying pile of feathers. He was perched behind a rock on one of the mountains, watching the spirit of winter intently.<p>

"Well…Jack's memories are out of the question."

His side still ached from that cheap shot, and he definitely wasn't going to try to break into the palace again.

There had to be some other way to get Frost's attention…

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><p>Please leave a comment or a review<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Breaking the Ice

Ok, this is for GuestSun's Eye...Yes, I have completed chapter 7. No, there's no payment required. And for the last question...if you like. But I recommend it. To those who are following this story, I already have chapter 8 in the works, this might take time.

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><p>Chapter 2: Breaking Ice<p>

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><p>North was currently in between two yetis, examining what appeared to be a new robot toy design drawn on paper.<p>

Christmas was far away so for now they were currently in the creation stage. He used this time to conjure up new toy ideas that appealed to culture's current interests. Robots were something a lot of young boys (and a growing population of girls) were into recently. But movies have made robots a lot more "advanced" looking.

North knew a lot about toys but not giant flying robots that could shoot laser beams and lift cars.

He was having a bit of trouble keeping up with the world's upgrade in technology, even recently looked into the human's use of "cellphones". But why would the Guardian of Wonder need a phone when he could communicate with magic?

Nonetheless if it's advanced, technological toys the children wanted, then North would conform.

He often used both his own and the yetis' designs for toys sometimes even collaborate and combine their designs. However the design North was staring at now was not going to work.

"No, no, no, this will not do! Start over! Less pointy objects!" He ripped the paper down the middle, causing the two yetis to complain.

"Harblo harga flahba!" they both exclaimed, gesturing to the torn up design and to North back and forth.

North ignored them as he walked away from them but only halted when he felt familiar vibration underneath his feet. He stroked his beard thoughtfully before decided to follow the movement into the Globe Room. He walked into the center and stopped right where he assumed a rabbit tunnel would open before waiting.

A few seconds later, a hole appeared and Bunnymund's form shot upwards through it.

The giant rabbit-like creature yelled in surprise upon seeing North's face just a few inches from his own. "Crikey, mate! Watch where yer walkin'!"

North smiled, not taking note of his fellow guardian's annoyance. "Bunny, my friend! What brings you to de Pole?" he greeted, spreading his arms in welcome.

The Pooka stomped his foot a few times to seal up the tunnel before holding up an ice bird for North to see.

"Ahh yes…" he leaned forward to examine at the beautiful creature before him. North could see a slight blue glow from the center of the bird's body, which he recognized as Jack's magic. "Icelings he calls them?" he asked looking up to his fellow guardian.

Bunny nodded as he pulled his paw back. "The thing was flyin' around me an' tuggin' me in your direction."

North laughed mirthfully as he grinned widely. He had seen practically hundreds of Jack's ice creatures all around the world, monitoring children in locations where it wasn't in the winter season. Jack had become such a responsible and powerful guardian in such a short time, he couldn't be more proud of their protégé.

Bunny looked around the room and frowned when all he saw was North and an occasional elf or a few.

"Well, clearly ya made a mistake since Jack is nowhere in sight," he spoke to the little bird in his paw. The creature's glassy face looked around curiously then back up at the Pooka before ruffling its icy feathers.

"Oh ho! Is that disappointment I seen in your face, Bunny?" North teased, giving him a knowing smile.

Bunny shot him a glare. "Shut it." He simply huffed before looking away.

This only made the Spirit of Wonder chuckle loudly.

Bunny and Jack had gotten closer ever since the Battle in Burgess. They still liked to pick on each other sometimes in front of the other guardians, but whenever they were alone, they often have serious conversations. The Pooka quickly saw Jack as a close friend, especially when the younger guardian began visiting him in his Warren personally, just to talk or simply hang out. Eventually the boy's presence caused a warm feeling in Bunny's chest and he began noticing the little things, like how beautifully blue Jack's eyes were or the pale smoothness of his skin.

He dismissed the feeling as a ridiculous and unexpected crush, something that would only distract him from his duty as a guardian and the Easter Bunny. Besides, whenever he tried to picture himself and Jack together as a couple, it was just silly looking. They had way too many physical differences between them.

However, he still allowed himself to stare at Jack whenever they were all together. Unfortunately for him, North noticed right away. He figured it was because of North's element, wonder, and seeing all that is special or whatever…

He just thanked his stars that the man had enough decency not to that that out in front of the others.

For now…

"Perhaps this means Jack is coming for a visit," North assumed as he looked around, half expecting the boy to appear from a corner or at least the sound of his laugh.

"Nowadays, he just visited one of us personally," Bunny looked over to him as if he held all of the answers. "Is he trying to gather all of us for some reason?"

The large man shrugged before offering the Pooka a plate of cookies, which the latter quickly declined. If centuries of experience taught him something, that he should stay away from the cookies. Ninety-nine percent of the batches might be contaminated by one or some of the elves.

"Oh, good, you're already here!" A familiar voice chirped up.

North and Bunny turned around and saw Tooth flying in from one of the opened windows, accompanied with four of her mini fairies, smiling as they flew closer to them.

"Tooth! You're here as well?" North greeted her with open arms.

"Hey, Bunny, you got my message!" Bunny's ears twitched a bit at the sound of the voice that he wanted to hear, leaning back to see Jack flying in after Tooth. Instantly the ice bird flew out of the Pooka's paw and circled around the mop of pure-white hair.

He could barely contain a smile on his lips as he practically leapt on all fours to him. "There ya are, mate!" he greeted, leaning on Jack's shoulder while ruffling his white hair wildly. This caused the latter to laugh as he tried to push him away but to no avail.

"There he is!" North's voice bellowed, Jack barely had time to register the larger man walking up to him and effortlessly pulled him off his feet to give him one of his massive bear hugs. It was one of the things that Jack hadn't gotten used to yet. First time he experienced North's bear hug, he could have sworn that he hear something crack a bit.

"H-hey, North…it's been a while…" he struggled to speak out as he felt air squeezed out of his lungs. For a really big guy, he has really hug muscles that are enough to make him feel like a twig!

Luckily for him, someone came to his rescue.

"Easy now, North!" Tooth exclaimed as she zipped to their side in order to tug on their leader's arms in an attempt to loosen them. "Jack just got back from a fight, and he shouldn't-"

Bunny's ears perked up and North stopped his squeezing at this new piece of information. "A fight…?" There was a look of concern on his face as he stepped closer to North and Jack. "With who? Is he alright?!"

North's blue eyes widened at the possibility of Jack being hurt, instantly held the younger boy's lanky body away to see if he obtain any form of injury. The youngest guardian finally got the chance to breath and held his hands out in front of him, palm to be exact since his other hand held his staff.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm fine! I'm fine!" He insisted before looking around. "…Can you put me down please?"

The Guardian of Wonder complied as he gently placed him down on the ground, hearing Jack letting out a sigh of relief while dusting himself off a bit. North placed a hand to his chin as he thought over this new information.

"Who would attack a guardian?" he mused out loud. "Other than…" After a moment, North's deep blue eyes widen in horror. "Shostakovich! Pitch Black has returned!"

The elves that were present in the Globe Room all looked up before started running around in fear, bells jingling obnoxiously upon the tips of their red hat suits. Bunny and Jack both wince at the continuous noise, one of them given to the fact that he has very sensitive ears. Thankfully for them, Tooth flew forward to him and placed her hand on North's shoulder in order to calm him down.

"No, no! Pitch has _not _returned…" she reassured him in a soothing tone. "Everything is fine…the Nightmare King is gone for good."

The ringing finally stopped when the elves stopped themselves, much to Bunny and Jack's relief, before going back to what they were doing before. Probably janitorial and/or toy testing as usual…though Jack knew that some of them most likely to sneak off to have snack on another fresh batch of cookies that one of the yetis have made.

"Then what's this all about?" Then Bunny turned to Jack, his face looking like he was itching for a fight. "Was it that damn Leprechaun!? Did he do something to ya?!"

Ever since Jack became the newest addition to the guardians, there are some…mixed reactions from the world of supernatural, mainly from the Leprechaun that is in charge of watching over St. Patrick's Day. But that is a story for another time.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "No, it's this…" then he paused as he thought it over before speaking again. "Well, I was kinda hoping we could wait for Sandy, and then I'll explain."

"Oh, Sandy is coming?" North spoke up, his jovial smile is returning to his rosy cheeks.

As if answering his question, a few streams of golden sand suddenly materialized in the room as Sandy appeared upon a cloud of the same material with a mini tooth fairy upon his shoulder, smiling before his fellow guardians with twinkling fingers.

"Ah, you two made it alright," Tooth chirped happily as the tiny blue and green fairy flew to her side and rejoined her sisters.

Jack beamed up at the sight of the dream spirit as soon as he floated down. "Hey, Sandy!" he wasted no time flying upwards to give the oldest guardian a quick hug, which Sandy returned with a wide smile. It really had been a since they had all seen each other, and Jack's very presence just brought out the guardians' playful sides that they never knew they had. Even Bunny was easing up a bit…

Sandy hovered to the ground along with Jack, looking each and one of them expectantly as a symbol of question mark appeared on top of his head when he looked up at Jack. The white-haired boy took a deep breath and exhaled as he walked towards to the very center of the globe room.

"Ok, let me explain who I met about a few months ago…"

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><p>"Flicker?" North questioned out loud. "I have never heard such a spirit…" then he looked up to their youngest member. "And you say he control fire, yes?"<p>

Jack nodded in response. He was on his tiptoes, perching at the top of his staff so he could look down on the other guardians who currently circled around him. It was one of the peculiar quirks of his when he joined them.

"Well, he must have just recently come into existence if none of us have ever heard of 'im." Bunny stated before looking up to Jack. "Why didn't you tell us before, mate?"

Jack looked down guiltily when the Pooka looked a bit hurt at this, thinking over on what he had to say.

"I…I didn't know that he was bad until he attacked Tooth's palace." He licked his lips a bit, vaguely feeling a bit chapped. "When I first met him, all he did was melting all my snow. But that was easy to replace, and he didn't seem at all mean about it. He just seemed…like he wanted my attention."

Jack paused for a moment as he looked at the others.

"To be honest, he kind of reminded me of myself before I became guardian."

They all nodded in understanding, feeling the twinge of guilt in the pit of their stomachs.

"So, did you become familiar with him at some point?" Tooth spoke up as she hovered before him.

"Well, we didn't talk much besides introducing ourselves…" he answered with a slight shrug. "But after he melted my snow the first time, I froze his feet to the ground on impulse. He thought it was funny though. Then he melted more, but I just made it snow again, it was like we were playing a game or something…" then a small smile played upon his lips. "It was actually kind of fun. And that went on for a few weeks."

"And then?" Bunny urged on.

Jack chewed the bottom of his lip before continuing.

"Then…one of my Icelings contacted me about a child in Canada," he went on. "So, I left to go see what was up, and Flicker followed me. But I was kind of busy with the kid so I tried to ignore him…" Then he took a deep breath and exhaled. "…And that's when he crushed one of them."

"An Iceling?" North spoke up.

Jack nodded. "A squirrel, one I had watching over a sick boy in Italy." He explained.

"And that's when things started going sour?" it sounded more of a statement than a question by the way Bunny placed it. Jack nodded again in response.

"I kind of overreacted, I had never had one of my icelings destroyed before and it has…" then he veered off as he closed his eyes shut, letting out a harsh sigh.

Tooth nodded as she let out a soft hum, knowing how he felt. Ever since the Battle in Burgess, she is not only back on the field but also keeping a close eye on her fairies, considering the fact that they were not just the extension of herself but practically her daughters. Bunny and North understood as well, considering the fact that eggs needed to be on constant watch by the Sentinels and some of the elves are what is left of North's group back when he was a bandit.

"Well, after that, I attacked him. I don't think I hurt him much, I was just hoping he would go away and leave me alone." Then he sighed, scratching his head in a guilty manner. "And then he attacked Tooth's palace…"

Hearing this made Sandy cock his head to the side, the sand forming an image of a tooth with a question mark next to it materialized above his head. This was noticed by Bunny as he quickly translated it.

"Yeah…why did he attack Tooth anyway?" he spoke up. "Did he just get tired of Jack so he went to bother another guardian?"

"Oh!" Tooth suddenly gasped loudly, causing everyone to jump and Jack almost fell off of his perch, managed to regain his balance on the staff.

"What is it, Tooth?" North asked when her face lit up in realization. Did she know why Flicker was attacking her home?

"Goodness, I completely forgot to tell you, Jack!" She flew up closer to him. "The reason Flicker was there is because he wanted your memories! He demanded that I show him where they were, that's why he held Baby Tooth hostage."

Jack's blue eyes widened at this information before confusion fell over him. "What?" it was directed more to himself than to the others.

"Why would he want to see Jack's memories?" North asked, voicing out Jack's question as he tried to place the pieces together but can't seem to find the connection.

"I think I know," Bunny spoke up as he stepped into the circle. He cleared his throat a bit as the others leaned in, convinced that he has the answer to all of their questions. "Clearly this bloke has some sort of messed up obsession with Jack." If anyone could hear a bit more closely, there was a hint of jealously in his tone.

"Like…secret feelings?" North teased with a chuckle, mostly towards Bunny. The Pooka shot him a hard glare for a second then looked up at Jack, looking concerned.

"We need to keep this bloke away from you, otherwise…."

"Aaagh!" Jack suddenly cried out as he clutched his head with both hands, immediately losing balance on his staff. He would have fallen flat on the floor if it weren't for Bunny quickly jumping forward to catch him as the others gather to see if he was alright. The staff let out a loud clank against the tiles before them.

"Jack…" he spoke as he set Jack gently down on the ground. "What's the matter mate? Say, something." He didn't know what to do, Jack was breathing heavily as he clench his head tighter to the point of clawing about at his hair by the roots.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Tooth's maternal instincts went overload as she placed a gentle hand upon his arm while Sandy and North were debating on whether they should bring him to the infirmary.

Jack was still clutching his head, his eyes squeezed shut in pain but after a moment, he blinked and allowed his hand fall away. He slowly adjusted himself on his knees while Bunny watched closely.

"I'm ok," he reassured them, sounding a bit shaken. "That was just Flicker, he did it again."

"Destroyed one of your ice creatures?" It was more of a statement than a question from North.

Jack nodded before looking back towards a window. As soon as the other guardians followed his gaze, a thin streak of blue light appeared from somewhere faraway and rushed back into Jack's body. He placed a hand to his chest as soon as the blue glow faded into him before standing up, looking a bit shaken.

"Hey," Bunny spoke up in an unusually gentle tone as he stared at him with concern. "Does it…does it hurt you every time one of your creatures is destroyed?"

There was a forced smile stretching his lips as Jack nodded slightly. "Yeah, I place a piece of myself inside of them when they are created…it allows them enough power to be intelligent and stay frozen even in warm climates. But if one of them is broken, it really packs a punch." He tapped his forehead to emphasize his point.

"Bastard…" Bunny grumbled out a curse, referring more to this Flicker. Attacking Tooth AND destroying the very creatures that are literally apart of Jack…already, he didn't like this guy.

"I never knew you were taking such risks in order to watch over the children," North spoke in awe as he walked over and placed a large hand on Jack's shoulder.

The younger man looked up to him with a small but genuine smile. "It's worth it though." He replied. This made the older man smile at him with pride. Truly, this boy does deserve the rank.

"How often is this fella breakin' those Icelings of yours?" Bunny spoke up, gaining Jack's attention.

"He does it at random…" he admitted. "But he has destroyed about thirty of them so far." There was a look of barely contained unhappiness as he thought about his creatures being broken.

"And it hurts you every time he does it huh?" Jack had had a dry swallow as he nodded once more to the Pooka. "Well, that's enough information for me…alright guys, we're gonna take this bloke down." He turned to North, pointing a furry digit to him. "North, tell yer yetis to gather up some water, I'm gonna go…"

"Bunny, Bunny!" North quickly cuts him off. "We can't just go out and fight when we don't even know what we're dealing with or what the circumstances are!"

"Not to mention we should speak with the Man in the Moon before we decide on anything." Tooth added.

Sandy nodded as he pointed at the image of a tiny crescent moon above his head.

Needless to say Bunny was appalled by this, it was obvious that every time that this Flicker bloke destroyed an iceling, it hurts Jack physically. And if it had been going on this long, they had no idea how long Jack will take it. And if anything serious happened to him…well, he didn't want to think about it.

"So, we're just gonna stand here and wait for him while some fire-headed maniac is out there breaking Jack's icelings and probably finding ways to…"

He would have gone further in his rant until he noticed that everyone was turning their attention to Jack. When he looked over, he saw that Jack's just was beginning to glow bright blue. Jack also took notice and blinked in surprise.

"Oh, hang on a second…" He then placed his hand over his chest before closing his eyes, almost as if meditating.

Bunny watched as he leaned over to North. "What is he doing?"

"I think he might be talking to one of his Icelings." He suggested.

Tooth hovered over next to them, watching Jack with curiosity. "You guys know that he could do that?" Sandy gave her a silent shrug before returning his attention to the white-haired boy. First creating ice creatures that are almost an expansion of himself but he could also communicate with one of them from a long distance? He is full of surprises.

Suddenly Jack's head shot up, his eyes were wide with fear as if he had just experienced the most horrifying thing in his life.

"What is it?" the Tooth Fairy asked, sounding concerned.

Jack didn't answer, he stood there, frozen in place as the glowing in his chest faded. Bunny was getting worried at the silence, Jack was a lot of things but silent…something must be up.

"Hey, mate…you're freaking us out a bit." He spoke warily.

"I…" Jack finally spoke up, before practically gulping. "I gotta go!" He made one of the windows fly open wider with the wind before shooting himself out of it like a bullet, his body disappearing towards south almost instantly.

"Wait, Jack! What's going on?!" North yelled out as they watched him disappear.

Tooth hovered a bit higher along with her fairies, concern was evident among them. "Something must have happened." She stated, her blue and green feathers were ruffling uncomfortably to the point that they might molt.

Sandy watched, feeling worried for their youngest companion as they are and didn't know whether one of them should go after him. But even so…where was he going?

"I'll go after him," Bunny spoke up as he opened a tunnel after a few taps. "I'll see if everything is alright. If not, then I'll send a message to ya right away."

And with that he leapt down into the tunnel, the hole closing up and sprouted a flower in its place.

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><p>Until next time<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Adolescence of Jamie Bennet

This story, along with Ostara, will from now on be toned down to T for 's standards. If you wanna go for the mature version, please look for me on AO3. It might be a slow process, due to school, real life, and other stories to work on, but it's still a process. And also, to Sun's Eye, I have read Darkness of Spring, and it's actually one of the inspirations besides Caught that got me into writing up dark deity!Bunny.

With that said, please enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 3: Adolescence of Jamie Bennet<p>

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><p>As soon as Jack landed upon the black pavement, he looked around frantically, trying to find any sign of fire. He had flown as quickly as he could to his hometown; his movements were now slow and cautious as he pattered carefully up the driveway off Jamie's house with staff at ready.<p>

Upon reaching the corner, he took a deep breath then poked his head around; his heart was beating rapidly against his chest. He tightened his grip on his staff and stepped out…only to find the yard empty.

He frowned as Jack walked onto the grass just under Jamie's bedroom window, while looking around of the backyard; so far he only found a stray baseball and also the tree swing. Nothing out of the ordinary so far…

Then a slight hooting sound brought him out of focus and he looked up to see a frozen owl perched upon the branch of the backyard tree, staring at him with clear eyes. The way the sun shone upon it is almost like crystal. Jack gave the creature a stern glare as he stared up at it.

"You sent me an image of Flicker standing right _here_." He stated, pointing at the ground underneath his feet. The way he was talking up at the owl like it was a toddler.

The owl just spun its head around in all direction then hooted again as if saying "not my fault."

Jack let out a sigh as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. He didn't know why he had gotten so worked up…maybe it was the fact that he just found out that this Flicker guy was actually willing to hurt people, then had to see an image of him right outside of Jamie's widow.

That was a scary sight…

_Would he really hurt a child?_ Jack thought. Then he shook his head a bit. _Wait…Jamie is technically a teenager now._

He smiled faintly as he gazed up at Jamie's window.

"Maybe it was just a coincidence that he was here…" he reassured himself out loud. "Maybe he was just wandering by…taking a shortcut."

The more he wanted to believe it, the more unlikely it sounded even when spoken out loud. Was it really a coincidence that one of his icelings spotted Flicker outside of a child's window that happened to be the one child that Jack was closest to in the entire world? The one he visited most often AND his first believer?

Biting his bottom lip, Jack decided that he should set his paranoia to rest and leapt off of the ground. He peered into Jamie's bedroom window but found it empty. He was confused at first until he remembered something.

"Oh, right, he has school today…" Jack looked around before kicking off the side of the house and flew into the woods. He combed the entire forest, not leaving one stone unturned before flying by each and every house to see if Flicker was nearby. So far, he found nothing. All he found was just a few kids playing hooky from school and a homeless old man sleeping by a dumpster.

Jack returned to Jamie's house and perched on top of the chimney as he rested his chin upon his fist in thought. From what he noticed, Flicker had never shown any interest in children when he had first appeared. He was invisible to them but it didn't look like he even cared whenever a child walks through him. He hadn't acknowledged their presence either.

But Flicker attached Tooth's palace because of him. And he wanted to steal his memories for who knows what reason.

If that hothead ended up hurting a child just to get a reaction of him, Jack would be devastated.

_Or if he did something to Jamie…_then Jack shook his head, not wanting to get more paranoid. Then he jumped when he heard something down below, instantly went on the defensive as he peered down the ground. A large hole opened up in the ground of Jamie's yard and two familiar long grey ears popped out. Jack released a breath that he never knew that he was holding when Bunny hopped out and surveyed the area.

_Why am I so jumpy lately?_ He thought to himself as he floated down from the roof.

As soon as he opened up an entrance, he poked his ears up just to hear if there are any hostiles about. When the coast was clear, he hopped out of the hole and immediately closed it as he took a good look around of his current location. It was the backyard of Jamie's house, even more understandable since he's Jack's first believer. When he felt the familiar brisk breeze against his fur, Bunny looked up and sighed with relief at the sight of Jack floating down from the roof and landed in front of him.

"There you are!" he spoke, sounding relieved that the youth was safe. He placed a firm hand upon his shoulder and examined his face warily. "Everything alright, mate? Did something happen?" he sounded a bit frantic at each question. "We made us all worried when you just disappeared all of a sudden."

Jack looked down in guilt, his shoulders crestfallen a bit as he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I-I think I overreacted over nothing…"

Bunny stared at him, taking note that the latter's body was stiff as a board and there was something off about his expression. Something had definitely spooked him, and somehow the Pooka didn't like the fact that they were at Jamie's house. The look on Jack's face was enough to make Bunny to pull the boy close and squeeze tight, but he could not. Instead, he could only use the only method he knows.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

Talking to him and lending in a sympathetic ear.

Jack scratched the back of his head awkwardly but the look of concern still held true in all of his features.

"I…" he began. "I think Flicker was here."

Bunny's green eyes widened at this as he pointed a finger to the ground, referring to Jamie's house. "Ya mean…here?"

Jack nodded and looked up at the frozen owl, still perched upon the tree as it looked down at them. Bunny followed his gaze and immediately understood. He then started looking around them as he reached for his enchanted boomerangs out of habit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! He's gone now!" Jack exclaimed, as he placed himself in front of his friend, holding his hands up as if it was a universal sign of peace. "He wasn't here when I arrived, and I searched the entire town for him…I don't know where he went but…"

Then he slowly trails off, not knowing what else to say but Bunny got the message as he placed his boomerangs back in their holsters.

"Alright, but it still bothers me that he was here." Then he faced Jack, looking concern. "Does he know that you're close to Jamie?"

"I…don't know," Jack admitted shrugging. "He never really paid any attention to the kids whenever I saw him…" then he trailed off again, trying to remember the past months with Flicker more accurately.

"But if this bloke has been stalking you, then it's a good chance that he has seen you and Jamie together at some point."

Jack wasn't going to deny or argue to that logic. He wasn't sure if Flicker had been stalking him, but after seeing the crazed flame spirit at Tooth's palace, he wasn't going to take any chances. As he thought about it, Jack was suddenly hit with guilt. Jamie was at risk now because of he hadn't handled this thing with Flicker at the beginning.

"Do you know if he has been seen around by any other children?" Bunny asked further. He needed to know if he needed to protect him. Jack took a moment to think back before shaking his head no.

"Then that just proves my point. Jack, this guy is using everything at his disposal to get close to you and I don't wanna know what he plans to do if he gets his hands on ya."

Jack let out a hum as he nodded in response, but he couldn't help but noticed that there was a slight change in tone within Bunny's voice on the last sentence. Like he was being protective…

But he mentally shook his head, passing it off as concern for a friend.

"We need to keep him away from you…" the Pooka went on. "We're gonna see if we could catch Manny, and afterwards, I think you should keep close to one of us until this whole Flicker thing is worked out."

The white-haired youth nodded again, knowing full well that Bunny wasn't trying to treat him like a child since he was capable of handling things on his own. After all, one cannot be too careful.

"Ok, that sounds good," Jack replied.

Bunny nodded back, satisfied that it came along easier than he thought. Knowing Jack, he would try to protest and say that he is capable of taking care of himself or some junk like that. But thankfully he hadn't done any of that kind, so he'd take it as a good sign. Though he did notice Jack biting his bottom lip as he shot continuous glances at Jamie's window…

He sighed heavily to himself. He is going to kick himself later for this…

"But…" he spoke up, regaining Jack's attention. "Since this just happened, maybe you should stay here to watch over the lil anklebiter while we have a chat with Manny ourselves."

This made Jack smile brightly, by the way his blue eyes shone made the Pooka's face heat up underneath his fur. After a moment, he shook his head a bit in order to clear up his thoughts. He had to focus, he can't think of those things right now.

"Just be sure to stay here and I'll come get you after we're done with Manny."

Jack chuckled lightly. "What? You don't want me just to fly back?"

"I don't want to take any chances." There was a serious tone in his voice that made Jack stop laughing. He ran his hand through his white hair as he looked up to Bunny.

"Thank you, Bunny, I mean it." He spoke in genuine gratitude, looking at him in the eye.

The Pooka smiled at him before placing both of his hands upon Jack's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna let this fiery freak do anything to you…or Jamie." He added Jamie within the last second as he stole a glance at the window above them.

"Yeah, me neither." Jack only paid attention to the "protecting Jamie" part. Bunny sighed before pulling himself away to open up a tunnel.

"By the way," Jack spoke up, stopping Bunny in mid-step from leaping into the hole. "How'd you know where to find me so fast?"

The Pooka blinked before remembering something. "Oh right…" he looked down into the tunnel, and after a few moments, a familiar ice bird flew out and perched itself upon Bunny's shoulder.

"This thing seems to have a connection with you," Bunny stated. "Without 'im, I would have combed the entire world just to find ya."

Jack laughed mirthfully as he smiled. "I think you should keep him, Bunny, he seems to like you anyway."

Bunny looked over to the little bird's face, which stared back at him, before scratching his chin in thought. "Well, he might be of some use to me…" he spoke while thinking over the possibilities. "I suppose I can take 'im off your hands."

In actuality, Bunny was fond of the idea of Jack giving the bird as a gift to him. Having a way to keep track of Jack at all times pleased him greatly. Besides, the little bird reminded him of Jack in a few but subtle ways.

"Aright, so I'll see you guys after you talk to the Moon?" Jack confirmed.

"And to remember to stay right _here_," Bunny emphasized his point as he jabbed his thumb to Jamie's house. "And I'll be right back to you."

"Yeah, yeah," came a drawled out response as Jack pretended to shoo him away, causing the rabbit-like guardian to give him a mock look of hurt before breaking the moment with a slight chuckle. He then leaped into the hole of his tunnel but not before stuck the top of his head out to stare at Jack creepily, wiggling his fingers over the edge, making the boy laugh.

"Stay safe!" Bunny's voice echoed as he descended further through his path.

The hole eventually sealed itself shut and Jack took the opportunity to float up towards Jamie's window, ready to welcome the young teen home.

Jamie walked through the front door sluggishly, letting it slam closed behind him but not before remembering to lock it.

His parents were still at work and Sophie would be spending the night with a friend, so he allowed his mind to wander as he kicked his sneakers off and launched them at some random place on the floor. It was a scorcher today, even in an attire of a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans; it was still sweltering to him. The highlight of the day was when he found out that the air conditioner was broken in history class, and the entire class had to bake throughout the lecture even with the windows open.

That was rather fun…

* * *

><p>A sigh escaped from his lips as Jamie tossed his bag lightly onto the kitchen tiles then stalked the kitchen cabinets for an afternoon snack.<p>

_What am I going to do tonight?_ He mentally mused himself. _I've got the whole house to myself._

An image of him throwing a huge, over-the-top party with beer flowing and crazy music popped into his head and he smirked as he shook his head.

Yeah, as if…he wasn't that kind of teenager with a high popularity rank that rather party and spend their free time drinking until they get sick and have fun.

Jamie Bennett, on the other hand, was the boring kind, did all of his homework and spent his time either watching movies or browse the internet. He frowned as he went on his search for a suitable snack. There is no way he is going to deny it, he missed being a child.

When you were a child, everyone was your friend and all you did was play and not worry about the future. But when high school rolled in, his friends branched off into different cliques. But since Jamie wasn't as easy to categorize as that popular boy or that nerdy kid, he ended up a sort of neutral zone, a clique for people who didn't really fit in.

He was ok with that. He had a few friends that he hung out at school but he usually preferred spending his free time alone.

Though he had to admit, it can be lonely sometimes…

Jamie finally found a box of crackers to snack on before heading up to his room. He was feeling rather lazy today, figuring that he would probably spend all night surfing on the web…read a book…or maybe…

He paused when his hand clamped down around the doorknob to his room, narrowing his eyes at the temperature. The metal was actually freezing cold to his hand…which is impossible, because today's temperature was nearing 60 degrees outside!

"What the…?" Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, Jamie swung the door open. When he did, the first thing that he noticed was a blast of cold wind in his face. Jamie blinked before noticing that it was snowing in his room, thick white flakes were collecting on his carpet.

Just like that one night six years ago…

There upon the center of the bed sat Jack Frost, who spread his arms wide before Jamie.

"Merry Christmas!" he greeted, smiling widely.

Jamie's grip around the cracker box loosened as he smiled back.

"It's May," he pointed out.

"It doesn't snow in May…" Jack countered, gestured to the flakes swirling around in Jamie's room. Laughing at the guardian's ridiculous sense of logic, the brunet youth couldn't help but leaped onto Jack, squeezing him into a tight hug.

Jack held him back, and then flicked his staff backwards, manipulating the cold wind to shoot the snow out of the window to dissipate into the warm air so Jamie wouldn't freeze.

"I'm glad that you're here, Jack," Jamie spoke with gratitude as he released Jack before standing back up on his feet.

Jack managed to sit up properly before taking a good look at him, almost made his smile fall when he noticed one minor detail about him.

"You've gotten taller the last time I saw you…"

It was no lie, Jamie was sixteen now and he was almost as tall as Jack was, just by a couple of inches. As wonderful was it was to see Jamie, it always pained Jack to know that the boy was getting older every year. His previously round features were now sharper, more masculine even. He internally chuckled to himself as he thought of the possibility of him breaking hearts.

"That's right, I'm a growing man!" Jamie spoke out in pride, puffing his chest out with his hands upon his hips, posing like a comic book superhero. Jack smiled before moving over a bit so that the teen could sit on the bed with him as the room returned back to its warm temperature. Even with the window open, it was still kind of hot but Jack was willing to endure it for the time being.

As soon as Jamie gotten time to relax, he looked over to him curiously.

"So, how long are you staying?" he asked. It has been a long time since they last saw each other, considering Jack's rank as guardian.

"All night," Jack beamed at him. Then he frown a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "If…if that's ok with you, I mean."

Jack often forgets that Jamie was a teenager, not a child anymore; he had to learn the hard way that sometimes growing boys need their space. One time when he visited him, the boy was in an awful mood and wanted nothing to do with the winter spirit. Jack was heartbroken at first, but after the other guardians had explained to Jack that teenagers go through phases and puberty, he realized that he would have to conform to Jamie's growth.

Nowadays he made sure that he wouldn't talk to Jamie like he was a little kid or offend him in some way, which was tough in his opinion. Speaking to children was all he knew, besides talking with the guardians that is.

He would always remember these wise words that Bunny had suggested when he went to him for advice:

"Just talk to Jamie like you would talk to me."

It was easier said than done, which lead to another problem. Jamie was acting different as well. He often randomly looked uncomfortable talking about certain things and then his face would go beet red for no reason at all. And Jack couldn't understand why.

Dealing with teenagers was hard…perhaps harder than dealing with children. He would rather face Flicker than go anywhere near Jamie during one of his puberty phases.

"Awesome! I didn't have any plans tonight anyway." Jamie spoke up, snapping the spirit out of his thoughts. Jack smiled as he placed an arm around Jamie's shoulder and pulled the teen to snug against him, causing Jamie to blush.

"So…how have you been these days?" the spirit asked.

Jamie shrugged in response as he leaned against him. "Fine, really. Nothing new, just getting through school and stuff…"

"I see." Jack wasn't very good at small talk but as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Hopefully. "What do want to do tonight?"

"Um…let's watch a movie." Jamie suggested before crawling off the front of his bed and propped himself in front of his television. Jack used the time to take a good look around of the boy's room. The drawings that used to adorn the walls are now replaced by posters of strange people that Jack had never seen before, such as Linking Park…Dead Mou 5…oh and someone named…Deadpool?

His toys were replaced by various electronics that amazed the spirit every time Jamie turned one on. The television is a good example. Jack had caught glimpses of bright, moving screens in people's houses from time to time but he had never actually seen a full film until he sat and watched one with Jamie.

"Which movie haven't we watched yet?" Jamie asked from the front of the bed.

Jack set his staff parallel with Jamie's bed then leaned forward to watch the boy shuffle through his DVD stash.

"Whatever you want to watch is fine with me." He spoke up, as he watched.

A moment later, a hand popped up holding a silver disk.

"Romantic Comedy?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me." Although to be fair, Jack wasn't sure what "Romantic Comedy" meant, but having the privilege of watching any kind of movie was always in interesting experience. He still has a fondness for the film that had a personification of Halloween kidnap Santa Claus. Besides, he often spent less time focused on the plot and more time marveling at the special effects and the strange angles at which the scenes appeared in.

"Ok, cool," Jamie pressed a few buttons on his DVD remote and started the movie. Jack leaned back against the headboard of the bed and watched as Jamie hurried to shut off the lights before joining him on the bed with a smile.

"I don't know if you'll like this movie though…it's kind of cheesy…"

Jamie didn't know why he was concerned with what the winter spirit thought of him all the time. Jack had never once judged him in the past, not even when he came out to him about being gay. It had been a hard time for him around puberty, and he decided to tell Jack first before anyone else…

Mainly because Jack was the sole reason that Jamie started becoming attracted to men.

He remembered how scared he felt about how the spirit would judge him, but what Jack did surprised him instead.

"I don't know why it's such a big deal. Love is love, right?"

Of course, Jack hadn't known that _he_ was the sole reason for Jamie's realization. Nonetheless, it was incredibly helpful, and it gave him enough push that he needed to come out to his friends and parents. And like Jack, they don't find it as a big deal either, giving him the full support of his sexuality.

It was all thanks to him…

Jack stretched out his arms before making himself comfy on the bed as he peered curiously at the screen in front of him.

"I like all of your movies, to be honest." He commented, as the two main characters meet in an over-the-top manner. The acting and characters is yet to be desired but still…

Meanwhile, Jamie took this opportunity to stare at Jack, as he so often did whenever they watched a film. It was the only chance he got to really admire the latter's face without the spirit giving him an odd look. He remembered when he was a little kid ripe of 10, he saw Jack Frost as some sort of god-like figure, a magical, ethereal being that is perfect beyond words.

But he knew better now. Jack may have the powers over the ice and wind but he had the mind of any normal person. He could make mistakes just as easily as anyone, human or otherwise, and it took Jamie a few years to realize that. However the winter spirit's beauty was something that never changed.

When he was a child, he was awed by it.

But as he grew older, Jack's attractiveness brought out different emotions within him.

Some that he wasn't so proud of…

Jamie let his eyes wander over Jack's face in the darkness. Admiring the way his crystal blue eyes seemed to have a natural glow of their own, and the light from the television reflected off of the spirit's icy pale skin with each scene. He found himself wondering why Jack's eyes were such a beautiful shade of blue before sighing deeply and looked away, trying to focus on the movie that they were watching.

_I'm glad that you came over, Jack…_

Perhaps tonight would be the night he would test out some of his hidden feelings.


	4. Chapter 4: Nervous Touch

Just so that everyone knows that some parts will be omitted out for this site, due to its impossible standards on what should be featured in a mature rated story. The uncut version will be featured on AO3. I would like to apologize for the long period of absence, I have school and other matters to worry about.

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><p>Flicker Chapter 4<p>

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><p>Bunny stared out one of the windows around the globe room, searching the sky for something. He was leaning against the frame of the windowsill that served as a seat, with his paws behind his head and large feet crossed in front of him. It was rare nowadays that they were the ones seeking out for his insight, but this is a special case when there is this Flicker guy running about. North had sent word out to the Moon as soon as Bunny returned and relayed the info that not only Jack is safe but there might be a possibility that Flicker was seen around Jamie's house.<p>

With the possibility of a child being harmed in mind, along with Jack's safety, they quickly get into gear by not only looking guidance to the Moon but also to research some information. North had disappeared into his studies to search anything on fire spirits, and Sandy had accompanied him for assistance.

Now, all he had to do was to keep an eye out for their leader's appearance.

Which he was taking his sweet time with by the way…

"Hurry up and come out, Moon." Bunny grumbled, his patience was wearing thin.

He looked down at the little frozen bird on his lap, briefly wondered what Jack was doing with Jamie at this moment.

Ever since Jamie Bennett, the very boy that practically saved them from disappearing from existence, reached to his teen years, Bunny had learned a few interesting things about teenagers. He sometimes came across them making out in some hidden place in the woods. In fact, the only time he ever saw teens outside is when they were doing unspeakably dirty things with one another.

Don't get him wrong, he did care deeply for Jamie. He was one of the rare cases of children still retained his belief in him and the other guardians even in adulthood. There was a slim possibility that he hadn't become anything like those sexually active kids. However, for some reason, the knowledge of him being alone with Jack right now bothered him.

_Maybe I'm being overprotective._ He thought to himself. Then he paused as he replayed that thought. _Actually, I'm being crazy. Jack doesn't need my protection from teenagers…I should be more concerned with Flicker right now._

Why is it that every time he sat and think about Jack Frost, his mind went out of whack?

This can't be love…love is supposed to be a wonderful, heartwarming experience.

Then again, part of Bunny's conflicting thoughts could be due to the fact of the possibility of his and Jack's relationship might be one-sided. At least, from what he knew…

Jack did, however, act strangely on some occasions. One time in his Warren, they were talking and relaxing in a flower patch. Before either one of them knew it, Jack had fallen asleep against him. By accident…at least that was what Bunny had assumed at that time. The youngest guardian looked very comfortable though, as he watched the boy snuggle closer to him, burying his face into the soft grey fur while asleep.

There was another time after Bunny had disappeared for a while. He had been beyond and deep within the Warren, investigating why some of his eggs were disappearing. And he didn't know that Jack had come over to visit at that time. When he finally found him, the poor boy looked devastated, like he had expected to find Bunny mauled or ripped to bits by some kind of monster.

Jack wouldn't leave his side for three days straight after that incident, until Bunny convinced him enough that he was fine.

However, he overlooked all of those things as being normal for close friends. Then again, if he could actually think _straight_ this time…

Bunny looked down at the little bird and saw it snuggle fondly into his grey fur, reminding him of that day.

_These icelings were supposed to have a part of Jack in them, right? _

Bunny shook his head and lightly thumped it against the wall behind him. He was thinking way too far into things. He really needed to relax…

"Bunny?" a familiar voice suddenly spoke up. The Pooka jolted a bit and his head snapped to the side to find Tooth hovering next to him.

'Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She apologized as she placed a delicate hand upon his shoulder.

Bunny blinked a few times before stretching his neck and rolled his shoulders a bit, releasing some tension that he was feeling. "It's fine, what's the matter?" His voice sounded a bit groggy, and had lost track of time on how long he was sitting in the same spot.

"I'm just worried," She began, looking nervous. "You don't think that Flicker would do anything to Jack while he's with Jamie, do you?"

The rabbit-like creature shook his head as he leaned back against the wall. "Nah, but even if he did, Jack is strong," he reassured her. "He won't let anything happen to Jamie, and I'll be going back to get him in a few hours anyway."

Easy for him to say that, he knew he was being a hypocrite. He spent the entire day worrying about Jack in every way possible, and it was almost close to sundown…

"So where is he?" Bunny asked, looking out of the window. Tooth knew that he was referring to the Moon; she let out a sigh as she looked out of the window as well. He was taking longer than she thought…

Then the sound of doors bursting open caused her to puff out her feathers in surprise as she practically went up in the air in practically a few feet, despite of her rapid hovering. Tooth whipped around to find North and Sandy coming in, with arms full of books and some random parchments.

"I've found it!" The Santa Claus figure boasted as he placed the stack upon the floor before picking off the top book off to hold up into the air for the other two guardians to see. Sandy placed his fists on his sides and gave North a quizzical stare, silently saying "YOU found it?"

"Errr…_Sandy_ helped me find it…" he quickly corrected himself, satisfying the sandman greatly.

"Find what exactly?" Bunny spoke up, not bothering to move his place by the window. This might be good, given to how long North and Sandy had been searching through his study which housed ENOUGH books to fill up the Smithsonian. (Though, North claimed that it was only 1/8th of the book collection that he brought along with him from Santoff Claussen…)

"The answer to our questions…" North replied in a hushed tone, waving his open hand in a circle. The Pooka rolled his eyes for his love of big dramatic moments. Luckily, he didn't need to speak to get to the point already as Tooth groaned in annoyance.

"What _IS_ that book, North?" She asked.

"Creatures from the Land of the Dark Ages." North held up the cover for Tooth to see the title which was written in what seemed to be ink. The said book seemed thicker and bigger than it looked since North's large fingers barely wrapped it. Its age was shown in its appearance with the blackened cover having bits of velvet hanging off at the sides. It seemed it wasn't opened in ages, eons perhaps, due to the fact that it was covered in dust and have a musky odor that Tooth drew away a bit. Bunny cursed himself briefly for having sensitive senses.

"So, that thing is gonna tell us how to deal with this Flicker?" Bunny questioned, his ears twitching a bit.

"No," North replied, shaking his head. "It will help us _understand_ Flicker. There is a difference."

The Pooka snorted at this. Of course…that book will help you to understand a thing or two about a possible dangerous evil spirit but it won't tell you how to stop one!

"You're saying that Flicker is some sort of creature from the Dark Ages?" Tooth asked, hovering about. The only being that they had known from the Dark Ages was Pitch Black, and that was it. They hadn't seen any other spirit from that era.

"He may be…." North replied before lifting the book in order to turn to the page that he bookmarked with a satin ribbon and read the contents. "As the Lust and Greed of Mankind arises into the sky and burns out against the Sun, then a being of two sins shall be created. One that hath stolen the very flames from the Sun itself, and will journey upon the Earth for the single soul who can settle its burning fire and become one with the desires in its heart…"

Bunny sat up and focused upon the ground as he listened, having become interested about halfway through the paragraph.

"What is that a description of?" Tooth spoke up. Her voice was soft as her feathers ruffled with anticipation, unsure if she would like the answer. North flipped the open book around so that they could all see the words in large print at the very top of the page:

_**Demons of the Sun**_.

"You think that Flicker is some sort of…demon?" The Tooth Fairy asked, her voice was hushed and fearful.

North let out a loud hum as he flipped the book around to reread the contents again. "I don't know, but it's the only thing we could find what had to with fire spirits and whatnot."

"What else does it say?" Bunny spoke up anxiously, standing up as soon as the bird flew off and perched upon the windowsill.

The Guardian of Wonder only shrugged as he skimmed the chapter. "Eh…it is a very old book, filled with plenty fake legends and silly…"

"What. Else. Does. It. SAY?!" Each word that Bunny spoke out was emphasized in a harsh tone like they were separate sentences as he stalked towards him, until he was directly in front of North. The other guardians exchanged worried glances to each other, silently giving Bunny the answer that it was all North could find. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as the Pooka crouch down while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Well, you had to start somewhere…

"It said the thing will 'search the Earth for the single soul who can settle its burning fire'…" Bunny repeated the passage carefully, speaking mostly to himself. After giving it thought, he finally came up the one conclusion. "What if that _soul_ is Jack? Ice and snow settles fire right?"

"But it could be also be a metaphor of some sort," Tooth suggested. "The phrase "…settle its burning fire" could mean anything."

"And you know how these old books are full of those." North added. Sandy nodded in agreement with them.

"Well, whatever, it still sounds a lot like this Flicker bloke, and it's the only thing we have so far! So what else does it say!?" Bunny stood up and took long strides over to North and tried to tug the book out of his hands to see himself but the former bandit's grip is too strong.

"Err…about that…" North spoke with hesitation before lowering the book for him to see for himself. Bunny's long ears went back in irritation when he saw that the rest of the page was so worn that it was unreadable, the ink were completely faded away. However he did make out a picture of what looked like a flower towards the bottom.

"What do ya suppose that would be?" he asked while pointing a furry finger at the image. Sandy and Tooth both respectively hovered and floated up behind them to peer at the page as well. The Sandman cocked his head to the side as a two sand images of a flower and a question mark appeared above Sandy's head.

They all continued to stare at the page for a while, trying to make out what remains of the chapter said, inspecting it further. Tooth noticed that the room is getting brighter and then she looked up, and let out a loud gasp to catch everyone's attention.

"Look!" she explained, pointing towards the ceiling.

As soon as they all turned around, lo and behold, the Moon appeared in the night sky, greeting them with rays of moonlight that lit in a circle across the floor. They stood before him as North addressed the Man in the Moon with open arms.

"Manny! Thank goodness, come! Please help us figure out what to do about this spirit called Flicker."

Nothing happened for a moment, there was only stillness and silence. This made Bunny wonder if the Man in the Moon was even going to speak with them. His assumptions are proven wrong-thankfully- when a bright beam appeared in the middle of the circle, slowly flowing and changing form. They all leaned in closer and once the image was done forming, they could see a shadow silhouette of a man with what looked like flames dancing off of his features.

"Is that him?" Bunny asked as he, along with North and Sandy, looked up to Tooth.

The Tooth Fairy Queen nodded her head before looking back to see more beams of light appeared inside of the circle. These ones orbited around the first one and slowly took shape until three shadow silhouettes of flowers circled around the image of Flicker, each bearing four plump petals with a small flame at their centers.

"It's that flower again…" North spoke softly.

"But there are three of them." Tooth added.

The image remained for a while and Bunny was left confused. From the book, it only reveals _one_ flower. He stared up at the Moon, expecting more of an explanation.

"I don't get it…what are you tryin' to say? What do these flowers mean?"

All he received was silence, but then the light grew brighter, causing him to return his gaze back to the image of Flicker to find it changing again, until they were all looking at the familiar silhouette of a certain Bringer of Winter. Only difference is that the three flowers were orbiting around him now. Bunny stared with eyes widen with horror as his heart began beating rapidly.

_Oh, Mim…_

"This is…" Tooth began.

"It's a warning." North finished the sentence for her.

Suddenly the little ice bird flew towards Bunny from the window and began pecking at his arm frantically.

"Whoa, whoa, what is it?" Bunny questioned before catching the small creature in his paws, trying to coax any form of answer out of it. But it was flapping its wings about as it managed to chirp rapidly.

"Is there something wrong?" The fairy asked as she hovered over to him, her feathers were ruffling up in worry.

"I don't know…" he responded honestly as he stared at the small bird. Since this one contained its own portion of Jack's magic, in a way it could communicate with its fellow icelings. And judging by how it was reacting, it might mean something is wrong.

"I'm gonna go check on Jack."

With that, he stomped his foot on the ground, harder than usual, then disappeared down his tunnel with the bird still clutched in his hands.

"Hold on a second!" North exclaimed as he hurried after him. But he was too late, the hole quickly closed as soon as he was about to reach it. He looked back at Tooth and Sandy, both looking at a loss on what to do and filled with concern on what is going on as the Moon stopped shining and the images on the floor disappeared.

_What should we do?_ North thought to himself. _Bunny would most likely need back up…_

When he turned around, he saw a few of his yetis poking their heads into the entrance of the Globe Room, curious to what is going on. And then…an idea formed into his head. Since they are going up against fire, they might need some appropriate ammo.

But first thing's first…

"Prepare the sleigh!"

* * *

><p>Jamie snuggled onto his bedspread as the coolness from Jack's body sent goose bumps up his arms. After the movie -whose title that Jack had forgotten, something about a bunch of girls and guys in a singing contest- they both lay down upon the bed, and talked about pretty much random stuff, mostly catching up, until it was dark outside. Jamie rested his head against the pillow, staring back into Jack's glowing blue eyes that he practically lose himself into them. He moved closer to him as he drew his arms around the spirit's waist while moving head to Jack's lean chest.<p>

"You'll get cold, Jamie." Jack cautioned him, though he brought an arm around the younger boy to return the embrace.

"I like being cold." The brunet teen replied with a yawn, snuggling closer to him.

The winter spirit couldn't help but smile as he focused to raise his body temperature. He allowed the room to warm him up, but not enough to cause him any harm. Just moderate enough to make Jamie more comfortable. The chestnut-brown haired youth sighed with content, listening to the soothing sound of the spirit's heart beating slowly next to his ear. His mind was filled with thoughts of Jack as he inhaled through the latter's blue sweater, taking in the scent of the misty forest and something else that Jamie couldn't place his finger on but it was soothing nonetheless.

It was quiet in the room now. Jamie's body temperature was making Jack lethargic, making him sigh sleepily and allowed his eyes to close. It had been a while since he had a good night sleep…most of the time he slept in the trees.

As he slept, Jamie took the opportunity to examine the peaceful look upon the spirit's face and blushed shyly.

This is it…it was now or never.

"Hey, Jack?" he whispered.

"Hm?" came a tired reply from Jack, he didn't even open his eyes when the younger boy spoke.

Jamie licked his lips, as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do.

"Do you want to play a game?"

As soon as he spoke those magical seven words, Jamie instantly saw a flash of blue and then Jack was looking down at him with a familiar mischievous grin.

"What kind of game?" Jack felt more awake now. It had been a long time since he had actually played with Jamie, rather than just hang out and talk to him. Honestly, he missed those times when Jamie reached to his pre-teen years.

Jamie swallowed a lump forming in his throat and smiled up at him.

"It's called Nervous."

Jack frowned at this. That didn't sound very fun…

"You play like this," Jamie spoke as he snaked a hand under Jack's blue hoodie, swirling his finger around the cold stomach before poking at the spirit's belly button. The action made the latter chuckle and squirmed away from him as a response.

"See? Now you just lost."

Jack blinked at him before looking down at himself. "Huh?"

How exactly did he lose?

"Because you got nervous," Jamie explained, smiling cheekily.

"I'm not nervous! Just ticklish!" Jack protested childishly, making Jamie laugh.

"It doesn't matter," Jamie grinned. "If you move away, you automatically lose the game. But if you stay still the whole time, you win."

Jack couldn't help but pout at this information. "Sounds easy, you should have said the rules earlier."

Jamie chuckled once more before pushing away from Jack a little, his heart beating rapidly in anticipation. "You go first.'

The winter spirit studied his favorite believer for a second, confused as to why his cheeks had turned red. He did notice him blushing for a while now. Maybe it was a fever? No…that couldn't be it. Maybe it was the heat.

Figuring that he would worry about that later, a sinister grin split his face before suddenly attacked the boy's neck with cold, wiggling fingertips. The trick is to make the other move right? Jamie yelped in surprise and started giggling at the sensation but he didn't' move away from Jack's hands.

"Hmm…" Not what he was expecting, but it was a good start.

"Piece of cake," Jamie murmured, almost sounding smug.

"Oh, really?" Jack smirked darkly. Well, truly he is a worthy adversary…but he will soon learn that he would rue the day that he challenge him! He trailed his cold hands downward and slipped them up underneath Jamie's shirt before tickling his sides. Jamie was laughing loudly and harder now, but amazingly, he hadn't moved an inch from the spot. His body was still stiff as a board against the mattress.

_Of course…Jack's idea of this game is the fear of being tickled._ Jamie thought as he was attacked by Jack's fingers. But never the less, it felt really nice to feel the soothing cold upon his skin.

Jack pondered for a moment on how to win this game before an idea came to his mind. He slipped both of his hands out of Jamie's shirt before roughly pushed on Jamie's stomach, causing the boy to fall off of the bed with a loud THUMP.

"I win!" Jack cheered as he sat up, throwing his hands up in victory.

"That's because you cheated!" Jamie accused him, though he was laughing in jest as he pulled himself back onto the bed.

"Not my fault that you didn't explain the rules well enough." For an added measure, Jack stuck his tongue out in a childish way.

Then Jamie crossed his arms and gave the spirit a mock-glare. They have a mini-stared contest until Jack sighed as he rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner. "Fine, fine, you win this round." Then he gave him his own mock glare. "But I will not forget this declaration of war."

Jamie laughed a bit as he scooted closer to the spirit. "It's my turn now." He said.

Jack straightened his body out as he sat cross-legged as he placed his hands upon his knees, surrendering to Jamie's game. However he had a confident look on his face as he smirked at him. "Good luck" is what he said.

**(This scene is considered too graphic for this site, as said in the notice, please go to the AO3 version, thank you)**

No words could describe Jack's reaction to this. In short, he was off the other side of the bed a second later.

"Ha! I win!' Jamie cheered, throwing his hands up in victory. But his smile quickly fell when he saw that he had gone too far. There upon the floor, Jack's eyes were wide and his face was a mixture of surprise and confusion as he looked down at himself then back to Jamie. There was a strong dull sensation twist within his stomach when he had an eyeful of what he had done.

"…I…I'm sorry…" Jamie apologized, immediately regretting on his decision. "I'm sorry, that was mean of me, I shouldn't have done that…"

Why…why did he have to go to do that?! To his best friend, nonetheless! As Jamie apologized, Jack was still in shock, processing on what happened. Never in 300 years of his life had anybody touched him down _there_. In fact, he never touched himself.

And then there was his body temperature…

"Jack?" Jamie's voice broke into his train of thoughts.

Jack blinked as he looked up to find Jamie looking down at him, reminding him of a kicked puppy. He took a deep breath and exhaled to regain his composure before crossing his arms and turned his head to the side in a pout. "Hmph…that was a cheap shot," he huffed.

This seemed to ease Jamie a little. "You aren't mad?"

Jack stuck his tongue out in response, making the younger boy giggle. He then floated back to the bed with him and then poked Jamie in the head with his finger.

"Hands to yourself, young man." He scolded in a teasing and orderly tone.

Jamie grinned at him cheekily as he set his legs into a cross-legged fashion. "Heh, ok, but I still won."

Jack gaped at him with his mouth wide open, almost resembling a fish. "No way! You cheated worse than I did!"

Jamie let out a laugh, inwardly glad that Jack wasn't angry at him. "Ok, ok, it's a tie then." He managed to breathe out as he reduced to snickers.

Jack grumbled before turning his head away. "Geez, teenagers these days...with their weird games and their…" then he was cut off when he felt familiar pain wash over him hard, Jack winced as he gripped his forehead. Damn it, what now?!

Jamie instantly stopped laughing and noticed this, before instantly grabbing onto his arm in concern. "Jack, are you ok?!" his voice was slightly panicked and he was debating on what to do in this situation. Does he try to ask for North or someone?! Do they have doctors?!

Jack took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose a few times, forcing himself to block out the pain pounding inside of his head before turning to Jamie with his usual smile, hoping that it didn't look forced.

"Y-yeah, just a message," he reassured him. "It looks like I have to take off early."

Jamie's face fell as he pouted. "Aww…" He let out a childish whine as Jamie released his hold on Jack's arm in disappointment, his shoulders fallen. He was looking forward to have Jack sleep next to him tonight.

"Yup, sorry, bud, duty calls." He hated to lie to him, but if his few months of experiencing this kind of pain taught him something…it would mean something was up. And keep it away from Jamie as far as possible. He jumped off of the bed and flipped his staff up with his foot and into his palm. Just as he was about to head out for the window, Jamie stopped him when he felt his arm sleeve being tugged. Jack looked over and saw the younger boy looking up to him with a mixture of sadness and worry.

"I really am sorry…about before." His voice sounded meek, almost younger as he looked up him with an apologetic look on his face.

It only took two seconds for Jack to know what he was talking about, and it hurt him that Jamie thought that he was leaving because of the "cheap shot" he pulled. He smiled down at him as he placed a comforting hand upon the mop of brown hair.

"Don't worry about it."

It was short, but it was enough to reassure him that that there are no hard feelings, making Jamie smiled sweetly at him and nodded. Jack would only hope that he wouldn't be upset after this and maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't be awkward between them. He paused halfway out of the window to give Jamie a reassuring wave before flying off to the street. When his bare feet touched the pavement, he took the moment to collect himself before the pain shot through his brain. Jack grabbed his head as he kept his balance, trying to clear the fuzziness and pain that was still blurring his vision.

It's him…there was no doubt about it.

_Alright…now where is he?_

He then jumped into the air and flew a few blocks down before zipping sideways into the forest.

Jack knew which animal had been destroyed and the place it should have been was…

He landed softly upon the grass, and saw the remains of an ice deer a few feet away. Its crystal eyes of the decapitated head stared blankly at him among the broken pieces. The stream of blue magic still hovering near the rubble suddenly shot back into Jack's chest. He instinctively placed his hand over his chest, frowning sadly that another one of his creations was destroyed. Before he had a chance to think, another rush of pain entered his head again, causing him to groan and fell to one knee. It was like a series of someone tapping something blunt into his brain, and it was getting worse by the minute.

He look forward to see more pieces of ice drop to the ground as a familiar figure stepped out from behind the trees, black shoes burning up the grass with each step. Jack glared at the figure as he managed to croak out the name.

"…Flicker…"


	5. Chapter 5: Bleed Out Violet

I have to warn you, what you see in this chapter and onwards would be rather uncomfortable. May feature blood and violence. Viewer discretion is advised. Oh and happy First of November

* * *

><p>Flicker Chapter 5<p>

* * *

><p>Jack stayed very still as he knelt down before his enemy with his staff held cautiously to his side. He would have blown the flaming man into the sky with a blast of ice by now if it weren't for the fact that Flicker had another hostage. He was clutching the frozen owl that watched over Jamie's window in a fiery grasp while plucking a few pieces of ice off of the creature's body. Jack winced as he felt a sting at the back of his head every time a piece fell.<p>

"What…do you want?!" he managed to let out through clenched teeth, still clutching his forehead.

That damnable smile grew on Flicker's lips as he picked off one of the owl's toes. "So it really does hurt you," he commented, ignoring Jack's question as he crushed the said toe between his fingers. Jack let out a hiss of pain when he felt his skull practically burning. Flicker walked around him playfully with a big smile on his face. Then the next thing Jack knows, he suddenly appeared a few feet from him, leaning down to examine him.

"You look so beautiful when you're in pain." He heard a coo.

Jack's head was spinning from the result of the owl being slowly torn to pieces, having a hard time to register the seductive ton in the other man's voice. "Wh-what…!?" he managed to croak out, still struggling to keep focus.

Oh, Flicker loved this. Never in his wildest dreams that he had seen THE Jack Frost, Bringer of Winter and recent member of the Guardians, in any state of submission before.

Submissive to him that is…

_Oh, this is going to be fun…_he thought to himself, licking his lips in anticipation.

Once he was sure that his head cleared up, Jack stared up at the flaming man before shifting his gaze at the owl. Or what is left of the poor creature since the head and torso are the only things kept intact. Its wings and legs were gone, which explained the pounding but yet intense pain. The bird remained quiet; barely have life left to interact. All it could do was to stare back at him, silently pleading to help it. But there is nothing that he could do, not when Flicker is keeping it hostage. The flame spirit seemed to be enjoying every moment as he bounced the poor thing up and down in his palm, while stepping around Jack to examine him as if he wanted to see him at every possible angle.

Well, he wanted his attention…might as well get some decent answers from him.

"Why do you keep doing this? What do you want from me?" Jack questioned slowly as he kept very still.

He racked his brain for a possible scenario without his owl being broken any more than it was. He had placed a lot of energy into that creature; MiM knows how much pain it would cause him if it was destroyed.

"Hmm…" Flicker let out a hum as soon as he was in front of him. He then knelt down closer to him as he peered into his glowing blue eyes. He could see his molten golden eyes as they took in his facial features. Jack wondered when is he going to answer his questions until he finally speak.

"Isn't it obvious?" he whispered.

Just when Jack was about to question him, the flames upon his right hand slowly faded away before bringing it upwards to his cheek. All he could do was to stare at him in confusion as he felt the warm sensation from the latter's hot fingertips upon his face.

Then, he acted on impulse. He jabbed his staff forward and blew the man's body back with a streak of ice, causing Flicker to skid until his back slammed hard against a tree. Jack instantly jumped onto his feet before zipping forward to snatch his owl out of the fire spirit's grasp.

However, when the fire spirit looked up and in a moment, their gazes locked. There was a heated glare literally burning in his eyes, to the point that they were set ablaze. Everything went into slow motion when he simply dropped the owl just as soon Jack reached for it, only sped up back to normal speed when he then crushed it to pieces with his boot.

Jack's body froze in place, choking on a gasp as agonizing pain exploded in his head. What he felt was nothing compared to his past experience with his Icelings destroyed in the past. It felt like someone slamming his head hard to a sledgehammer, his brain was pulsing so hard and rapid against his skull, that it felt like it might just burst inside. He cried out in pain as Jack grabbed his head, practically clawing at it as he staggered backwards until he lost his balance.

All he could do was lay upon his back helplessly as his vision blurred to the point that he could only see white.

Flicker watched with interest as streams of bright blue flow from the owl's body and into Jack before fading within him. He grinned widely at the sight of the boy's face as soon as he laid eyes on him. He just couldn't control himself; Jack looked so attractive when he was suffering. He got down to his knees so that he was hovering just above the winter spirit's body, before pulling his arm back and lit it with fire, flames becoming sharp at the fingertips.

Jack regained his vision for a second, just to see a flash of bright red stab him through the chest. His eyes went wide as the aching from his head was combined with the sudden excruciating pain from his body. It was so unbearable and incomprehensible, that there were no words to describe it. All he could do was scream out, causing at least the entire area to be void of birds for a minute, shuddering hard before his body immediately shut down against the grass beneath him. He was numb as tremors of pain racketed up from his chest and back to his brain over and over again. The wound on his chest burned as the heat seeped into his entire body, weakening him from the inside. Flicker smiled at his work, licking his lips as he watched Jack's eyes dimmed and his face relaxing. He would have appeared dead if it weren't for the slight trembling of his body.

Flicker finally pulled his hand out of Jack's chest, causing the violet blood to seep out immediately before being absorbed into his blue jacket, staining both the fabric and his pale skin.

"What a pretty color…" Flicker purred as he lifted his hand up, licking the dark cold blood off of his fingers, relishing the bittersweet taste. He then gently grasped the boy's cheek, smearing the blood on upon his face. He looked into the unfocused blue eyes and beamed at the sight.

"I'm sorry, Jack," he whispered to him, almost lovingly. "I know that it was a cheap shot, but you're too strong. I had to weaken you somehow."

The pain in Jack's body blocked out of his senses, he could hardly hear what Flicker was saying. But he was vaguely aware of something hot touching his face. Flicker ran his hand over Jack's forehead, petting his pure white hair. He was particularly fond of the way the winter sprite's hair stuck up and shone brightly in the darkness of the night, with the purple streak of his blood contrasting beautifully.

"I won't hurt you anymore, Jack…" he cooed further. "Just stay with me…"

And with that, he leaned down and licked Jack's chin.

* * *

><p>Bunny was racing through his tunnel network on all fours, trying to keep up with the frozen bird that had suddenly gotten a lot faster as it flapped its little wings frantically.<p>

"I hope you know where you're going!" Bunny's voice echoed throughout his tunnel, keeping pace without missing a beat.

The bird suddenly turned and flew into another passageway, making Bunny skid to slow down before leaping after it. He finally stopped when he saw the ice bird hover under a certain spot in the tunnel's ceiling while pecking at the roots above it. Bunny halted and looked around for a moment.

He knew where this was…it was deep in the forest of Jack's hometown.

But the question is…why weren't they at Jamie's house?

He then focused the dirt above before stomping his foot, causing a hole to appear above his head. Bunny leapt upwards then paused when he saw the little bird perched upon the floor, looking up at him expectantly. Apparently, it would rather sit this one out.

"Fine, stay here then." He said as he leaped upward through the hole.

It might be a good move on the small creature's part, considering the fact that its friends were being destroyed left and right. As soon as he was above ground, all he saw was darkness in the forest. He kept his ears flat against his head so that they wouldn't give him away as he cautiously crawled out of the tunnel hole. When he looked around the woods, his eyes were immediately directed to an orange glow towards his right.

_A fire…?_

But as he peered closer, he could see that the fire was actually a man, fitting the same silhouette in the Moon's warning as his face could be seen a bit more clearly. Red hair, olive-colored skin, and flames dancing over his body…yeah, this is definitely him. Bunny's heart stopped when he saw the orange flames reflecting off of the familiar face of Jack, who lie motionless on the ground as the man said something before leaning over to him and licked the boy's chin.

Then something clicked inside of the Pooka and a wave of emotions drove him into action.

He didn't even bother to use his boomerangs as he shot forward without a moment of hesitation. Bunny double front kicked Flicker as hard as he could, propelling the man's flaming body backwards into the forest.

Flicker didn't even have time to make a noise as he felt himself being shot back and the brightness from his body disappeared.

The area around him dimmed because of the flame spirit's absence but the light from a few piles of burning grass helped Bunny to see. He was pretty sure that he burned the bottom of his feet from kicking Flicker, but he didn't care at the moment. This is nothing compared what Jack might have gone through.

He kneeled above Jack, his eyes widening at the sight of him. The boy looked lifeless and his eyes were only half open. He could see the deep blue of his irises fading. His heart kick started into over drive, as Bunny tried to keep himself calm while grabbing Jack by the shoulders and shook him anxiously.

"Hey, Jack, say something! Can ya hear me?!" he begged, almost panicking.

Jack's body was still limp but he managed to let out a pained groan. Bunny blinked when he felt something wet and cold underneath his feet, something that he didn't notice up until this moment. He moved his hand and gently grazed it along Jack's features, seeing if he could feel any sort of injury. When he felt the same liquid covering Jack's chest, he moved his paw by the small flames next to him to see what he was feeling.

There from the flames' glow, his paw has taken on a dark purple color as the liquid dripped off of his fingers. The tell-tale coppery scent reached his nostrils as he came to a horrifying realization.

_It was Jack's blood…_

He had never once witness a guardian bleed before…but not this much.

Until Jack, that is. Suddenly a rush of panic filled his entire being as his breathing became frantic.

_Jack is bleeding…Jack is bleeding…JACK IS BLEEDING!_

Bunny knelt down lower and gently cradled Jack's torso in his arms, grasping the side of his cheek with his right paw.

"Jack?" he spoke softly, though he was having a hard time to keep his tone calm. "Can you hear me? You're gonna be alright mate. I'm gonna get you outta here."

He watched closely as the boy's brow furrowed slightly. Jack blinked a few times, trying to regain consciousness. He still couldn't see very well but he managed to make out Bunny's voice.

"…unny…" Jack's voice was barely audible but with a sharp hearing like a Pooka could pick it up easily. And Bunny couldn't be happier to hear him.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm right here. Don't worry…" Then Bunny paused when he saw a flash of bright orange from the corner of his eye. He ducked down just in time, covering Jack's body with his own as a giant ball of fire flew over them and ignited a tree six feet away. Flicker staggered out of the tress, looking quite irritated as he dusted himself off. Bunny mentally took note that the flames on his shoulders somehow grew taller compared to the first time.

"Who the fuck…" then he trailed off when he saw Bunny. A grin slowly crept to the flame spirit's face when he realized who he is. "Oh…I'm guessing you're the famous Easter Bunny, right? You're not a typical rabbit from the pictures."

He let out a chuckle but immediately silenced himself when he saw the look on the rabbit-like guardian's face. If the saying goes "looks can kill", then Bunny looked like he was about to destroy something. He was so filled with rage and hatred, he couldn't even think of an insult or a threat to the flaming man. He hadn't been this angry since the day his entire clan was wiped off from the face of the universe.

_But Jack is more important right now…_the rational part of his mind pointed out. He gently pulled Jack's body into his arms, still keeping a sharp glare on Flicker, who was, thankfully, kept in the same spot.

_You're lucky that Jack needs me, otherwise you'd be dead._

With a stomp of his foot, a hole opened right underneath them, and both Bunny and Jack immediately descended.

Flicker's eyes widened in surprise then shot forward, trying to get to Jack before they dive into the hole. However, he was unsuccessful and the entrance to the tunnel was closed off when he finally reached it, only grabbing nothing but soil and grass. A growl escaped his lips before releasing out a frustrated cry while literally breathing out fire, burning the trees around him as a result.

His winter spirit had been taken from him…by a goddamned overgrown rabbit nonetheless!

_But I'm going to get him back._ He silently vowed to himself.

Flicker took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the flames around him dimmed and faded into smoke as he relaxed himself.

He would get Jack back, however, if he would…he need to be smart about this. After all, there was no way that he could take on all the guardians at once, not without the third flower at least. And he really wasn't sure if he wanted to fight that Pooka either, not after seeing that glare on his face. It was almost as if he wanted to kill him right then and there.

Despite the literal fire power he have, Flicker rather live another day.

Now all that is left is brainstorming up some sort of strategy, but how?

A crumbling sound took him out of his train of thought, making him look down to see his foot crushing more of what is left of the ice owl's remains. Seeing the crystal pieces instantly refresh his memory as an idea formed inside of his head.

"Oh, that's right…"

He also remembered which house that the owl had been monitoring. Not to mention that his own presence around that area caused Jack to react instantly.

Flicker turned his head with a smirk, gazing off in the direction of Jamie's house.

"I think I could use this to my advantage."

Once his feet met the floor of one of his curving tunnels, Bunny crouched down and shut his eyes, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself as he cradled Jack close to his chest. After a few calming breaths, he managed to feel calm, even though he was still shaking. From anger, shock, fear, he doesn't know.

"Damn it, Jack! I told you not to leave Jamie's house!" his voice cracked as he spoke. He knew that Jack wasn't the blame. The real person that he was angry at was himself. He never should have left his side, even when he knew that crazed…_demon_…was out looking for him.

_What was I thinking? I'm such an idiot! _

Bunny took one more intake of air and exhaled slowly, before pulling Jack away so that he could look at him. When he opened his eyes, he instantly regretted it. The green glow from the small patches of grass and flowers that grew in the tunnel allowed him to see everything perfectly. Jack's blood was _everywhere_.

From staining his hair and face to slowly seeping out of the wound and darkening his hooded sweater and pants. When he took note that his fur was suddenly damp around the arms and chest area, he could see that he was being coated in violet. Jack's eyes were shut due to having been passed out from the pain, though his breathing was irregular and uneven.

Bunny took a shaky breath at the very sight of him.

_I can't lose control while Jack needs me._ He mentally reminded himself. _I have to stay calm._

He pressed his own paw firmly onto Jack's chest wound in order to slow down the bleeding while he gently picked him up bridal style before making his way through the tunnel. He made sure that he took careful steps in order not to shift the boy too much. Upon walking, he realized that there was no way that he could take care of Jack on his own.

He needed the others' help.

"Hey, Bird!" Bunny called out through the tunnel. Throughout the whole fiasco, he hadn't come up an actual name for Jack's gift yet, but he had to worry about that another time. Surprisingly, the ice creature flew up behind him almost instantly and perched upon his shoulder.

He looked into its glass eyes and spoke carefully, "I need you to go get North and the others for me." Then he stomped his foot to open another tunnel above him. The small bird stared at him for a moment before flying up into the hole and disappeared through the darkness of the tunnel.

_I hope they figure out that thing's message._ He thought.

He peered down at Jack, seeing that he was still limp in his arms. His thin legs swayed slightly with every step the Pooka took.

"…I'm so sorry, mate." Bunny whispered softly.

He looked over his shoulder to see a trail of violet blood, marking his footsteps. Bunny grimaced at the sight before pressing onwards to their destination. When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, he stepped out into the familiar lush greenery of the Warren. He was greeted by a few of his eggs that were running around him in a mixture of worry and confusion, but he ignored them for the moment and walked to the soft patch of long grass in the center of the clearing. There he gently laid Jack down before getting started to see how bad the damage was.

He wasted no time in carefully removing the blue sweater before tossing it to the side while looking around frantically for something to press against Jack's wounds. The sweater was already soaked in blood, so he decided against that. There were medical supplies but they're nowhere near the burrow, forced to rely on his paws to press them firmly for the time being as he cursed inwardly for not thinking ahead enough.

_Where are you guys?_ He thought, hoping that they won't arrive too late while Jack is slowly bleeding.

His prayers were answered sooner than he expected as a familiar brightly colored portal opened up near the clearing, and the first thing that came out was the little ice bird. Following after it were the familiar faces of North, Sandy, and Tooth, armed with swords and what looked like large buckets of snow. Probably to chuck them at Flicker in case they come across him. Bunny could see the familiar duel ornate talwars strapped around Tooth's waist, she hadn't used them since their first assembly against Pitch those eons ago. He was surprised that they haven't dulled over the years. He also noticed that North is armed with one of the swords of the past as well, the very first Moon artifact, Tsar Lunar XI's sword, he had it pointing forward while keeping one of his many swords sheathed as back up.

The large man frowned as he looked around in confusion, the Warren seemed to be ok…no smell of burning wood, no charred Sentinels, not even a sight of fire. The eggs are alright so far, could they have interpreted the message from the small creature wrong?

"Is this…a trap?" he asked, looking over to Sandy a bit, who only shrugged in response but kept the bucket ready.

Tooth scanned the area until she finally saw Bunny in a clearing…along with Jack who lay prone upon the ground, along with the coppery scent that she's all too-familiar with. She gasped loudly as she brought her hands to her mouth, dropping her bucket in the process and gained the attention of her two comrades.

What they saw shocked them to the core. Over the centuries of protecting children, they have learned to try to see the bright side in life, while bring hope, wonder, and dreams to those that were unfortunate and abused. But this…the sight of one of their youngest member, lying limp on the ground, soaked in his own blood-it was enough to leave them speechless. Tooth looked like she was going to cry at any minute as North and Sandy both stood in shocked silence. The Pooka looked over his shoulder while keeping his paws over Jack's wound, trying to put as much pressure on it as he could.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Bunny's voice shouted, snapping the other guardians out of their stupor and instantly rushed to his side, with the snow buckets forgotten. Tooth got there first, due to her speed, holding Jack's face as she examined him for further injuries. Thankfully, she found none. She then looked up at Bunny with what looked like fear in her pink eyes. She hadn't look this scared since her fairies were captured.

"How did this happen?" she asked, her voice was breaking as she struggled to remain composed.

"How do you think?" Bunny grumbled. He didn't mean to make it seem like he was snapping at her but the encounter left him really stressed and tense.

North knelt down on one knee and looked over Jack carefully. The Pooka recalled that the Russian man used to be the leader of Cossack bandits (Bandit King, the latter corrected him one time), and before his initiation as guardian, he was familiar with receiving wounds as much as making them.

"Flicker attacked him while he was with Jamie?" It was more of a statement than a question as he kept his voice low.

Sandy hovered in front of Bunny, forming a silhouette of Jamie above his head with a question mark next to it.

"I'm sure Jamie is fine," The Pooka reassured him. "Jack was in the forest when I found him being attacked by Flicker."

The small man seemed to be satisfied with the answer before nodding at North, which signaled him to reach into his coat to pull out what looked like a first-aid kit.

_Thank goodness North thought ahead to bring that._ Bunny thought to himself, relieved at the fact that Jack is in good hands now.

"Why is he so warm?" Tooth spoke up.

There was a frantic tone in her voice, making Bunny to look over to find her hand upon Jack's forehead. He removed one of his hands from Jack's chest to press the back of it against the latter's cheek. His skin was warm, _very_ warm, and if last summer taught him something, it was a dangerous thing to Jack.

"We need to cool him down! Sandy, the buckets!" North commanded.

Sandy nodded before manipulating his sand to gather the remaining snow back into the buckets that were left in the center of the clearing, carrying them to their location. North and Bunny wasted no time to dump what is left inside the containers over Jack's entire body, covering him in snow. The former bandit gently brushed the snow away from Jack's wound before bundling up a medical cloth to press firmly upon the younger boy's chest.

Tooth kept her hand upon Jack's forehead the whole time and let out a sigh of relief. The heat is still there, but the familiar chill slowly coming back.

"We should wait for him to cool down, and then we'll have him cleaned up and bandaged." She suggested.

North nodded before gazing at Bunny as he sat back on the grass and stared forward. He noticed that he was tense and shaking a bit, taking deep breaths as he does so. He stared at him with concern before thinking up some way to break the tension.

"Are you alright, my friend?" he asked.

Bunny shook his head as Tooth fluttered over to his side to place a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"No, I'm not alright," he admitted quietly, still looking ahead. "North, you didn't see how that…_thing_…was treating Jack when I found him. He's insane…he really is a demon." An image of Flicker hovering over Jack's limp body replayed in Bunny's mind. The sight of the flaming spirit playing in the boy's blood, smearing it all over the youth's face before running his tongue along Jack's chin in a sick seductive manner.

Bunny shuddered at the memory. He had to keep Jack away from him, and the next time that Flicker will cross his pass, he'll be picking him in the face. The other guardians exchange looks before turning to Bunny, feeling concern not only for Jack but also Bunny as well. One of them had to speak up in order to get the Pooka to see the bright side as much as possible.

"Well, he is safe now," North spoke up, giving him a hearty pat upon the Pooka's shoulder. "We won't let something like this happen again."

Bunny nodded, vaguely taking note of the Cossack's promise. However, he couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling that there is a possibility that Flicker was planning something bigger against them. And even with all of their strengths combined, it still wouldn't be enough. This bloke is in a class of his own all together compared to Pitch and the Monkey King.

"Why don't you get washed up a bit, Bunny?" Tooth suggested, gesturing to Bunny's violet stained fur.

Bunny looked down at himself, noticing the blood was still there before turning back to the pile of snow that was covering Jack's body. "…Nah." He replied.

North let out a chuckle as he patted Bunny on the arm. "If it's about guarding Jack, we are here," he reassured him, hoping to ease him up a bit.

However the Pooka didn't budge from the spot and his expression was far from amused. "No…" he stated. There was a stubborn tone that Tooth and Sandy picked up from his gruff voice, and they both noticed that he had a serious look on his face.

"Starting now right now…I'm not leaving Jack's side." Then he turned to North. "…Ever."

North let out a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that this would happen eventually…Bunny's affection for Jack would drive him to irrational conclusions and act on emotions alone. And he thought that Bunny tasting his own chocolate was the problem…

North then stood up before picking up one of the empty buckets to hand over to Tooth.

"Toothy, would you please fly to stream and bring some water?" he asked.

The Tooth Fairy Queen nodded before flying away with the bucket in hand. For now, they would all stay by their youngest member's side and keep him safe as he healed from his ordeal. They just hoped that Flicker wouldn't do anything drastic while they were isolated in the Warren.


	6. Chapter 6: Fire Blossoms

I thought I might let everyone know that Flicker Uncut has reached the 12th chapter mark in AO3, and next chapter would be my debut :)

**edit**: made a quick change on the chapter title, sorry.

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><p>Flicker Chapter 6: Fire Blossoms<p>

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><p>Bunny sat with his back planted against the mossy egg-shaped stones while keeping watch on Jack in front of him. He kept true to his word that he wasn't going to leave his side, but he was starting to get sore from staying in the same position all night. He didn't get a decent wink of sleep as a result.<p>

_At least I have a helper._ Bunny thought to himself as he looked at the little ice bird perched upon his shoulder. The creature copied Bunny and hasn't moved from Jack's side either. Keeping him in its glassy eyes, and not once it looked away from his prone body.

If Bunny's sense of timing is correct, it might be morning in his territory above ground. Sandy had left last night soon after Jack had eventually cooled down back to his normal temperature, returning to his job of bringing dreams to children around the world. Bunny assumed that he would be back within a few minutes. Tooth was near the edge of the clearing, giving orders to her mini fairies while they zipped in and out of a tunnel that he had opened up especially for them. She said that she didn't want to leave the Warren until Jack woke up, and knowing Tooth, she's a woman of her word. North was back at the North Pole, mostly to look over the latest toy designs and make sure that the shop was in order while he was gone. Though he did manage to pop in and out of the Warren to check up on Jack but the jolliness and laugher that he wielded each time was starting to get on his nerves.

He usually enjoyed the Russian's optimism, but right now he was in kind of a bad mood.

But he had to keep himself on the bright side, no time for despair since it's not part of Jack's vocabulary. And speaking of Jack, he took note that the youngest guardian looked peaceful compared to the last time. After rinsing him off, they dressed his wounds in gauze and bandages. Eventually he stopped bleeding, much to Bunny's relief. It was then that he took the time to rinse off his own fur with the bucket of water that Tooth had brought to him. Afterwards, they gently moved Jack's body to another section of grass that wasn't blood-soaked.

His trademark blue hooded sweater was folded neatly next to him, resting next to his staff. Tooth had taken the liberty to clean it off and North showed his craftsmanship with the thread and needle and mended it. Useful for not only toy making but for mending clothing and stitching up wounds as well back in the day.

Bunny's gaze fell from the boy's sleeping face down to his bandaged chest. He had never seen Jack without his sweater before. Although this wasn't the way Bunny wanted to see it, he couldn't help the sudden heat ran through his cheeks as his eyes flickered around the slim chest before him, seeing that the skin tone was back to its moonlight paleness thanks to Jack's cooling down. His eyes followed the trail of Jack's collarbone then observed the curve of his waist, the slight dip of his belly button before following the edge of each hip that were barely covered by his brown trousers.

_Jack's hurt, I shouldn't be staring at him._ He thought to himself. However he continued to stare nonetheless.

Tooth turned away from her fairies to look at Bunny, noticing something amiss by what she is seeing. The large rabbit-like monk was staring hard at Jack, but it wasn't the typical stare of someone who was lost in thought. He was really staring _at _Jack. She hadn't thought much of Bunny's decision of staying by the youth's side before. After all, he was the one who dealt with most of the aftermath from Jack's attack. She knew the Pooka had carried him here while he was bleeding and unconscious.

_That had to been so hard for him._ She thought as Tooth stared at him with sympathy.

Bunny had been the most critical of Jack's initiation of guardianship during the battle against Pitch. Sure, they had become close friends afterwards, but Bunny was acting as though Jack was his entire world now. H was giving the boy more attention than he gave his eggs, and that was saying something.

…Or perhaps, it was something else.

Tooth gasped softly as a peculiar thought occurred to her.

Are Bunny and Jack…?

Then she was instantly snapped out of her thoughts when Baby Tooth pecked her in the arm to get her attention, squeaking and chirping about as she gestured to her sisters who are waiting further orders. It literally took her at least a second to realize this, ruffling her feathers a bit in embarrassment. "Oh! Sorry!" she apologized before finishing up the orders to her small swarm of fairies. Once the fairies flew through into the tunnel, streams of golden sand flowed in.

Tooth smiled as the short golden man descended into the Warren. "Oh, good, Sandy, you're back!" she chimed as the latter greeted her with a cheery salute. However his face fell when he looked over to Jack, finding that the boy was still sleeping. He peered up at Tooth as the sand formed into a shape of a clock and a question mark above his head.

"He's been out this whole time, hasn't opened his eyes once," She responded in a hushed tone.

Sandy looked at Bunny before turning back to Tooth again. Even without his sand, she already knew what his next question was as she shook her head. "No, Bunny hasn't moved either…" then she leaned in a bit, lowering her voice so Bunny wouldn't pick up with his sensitive ears. "I'm worried about him, Sandy, he hasn't slept all night."

Sandy nodded in understanding before hovering over to sit around Jack. The dream weaver plopped himself next to Bunny while Tooth gently hovered down on her knees across from them. The Pooka took note of the oldest guardian's presence the moment he took his seat next to as the ice bird started chirping a bit.

"Ah, Sandy, you're back." He greeted, sounding a bit groggy. The golden man smiled up at him, silently returning the greeting before turning his attention to Jack. Tooth ran a soothing hand through Jack's hair and sighed. She would be lying if she only paid attention to Jack was because of his beautiful teeth (which she still held in regard to this day), but over time, even before he became their newest recruit, Tooth was beginning to see that there is more to Jack than just pretty teeth. She started to see him as her little brother…almost like a son.

"He looks so peaceful," she spoke up. "Maybe it's best if he sleeps until he was healed up."

Bunny nodded absentmindedly as he looked up to her. "How long do ya think it will take him to heal?"

Tooth placed a slim hand to her chin, murmuring herself thoughtfully. "I don't know, most spirits were fast healers…" she spoke. "But I can't remember a time when any of us were injured this badly. Aside from Sandy, but his body works differently than ours." The fairy queen looked at said golden man, and he nodded in understanding. His body was primarily made of dream sand, given to his former life as a star, so bleeding wasn't much of an issue for him.

Bunny grumbled but seemed neutral about the answer that he was given. It was rather vague, but there was some reassurance that Jack will be ok. Sandy let out a silent sigh before noticing the frozen bird, still sitting on Bunny's shoulder. It seemed to sense him staring at it, turning its head and stared back at him in curiosity. Then the dream spirit was hit with a sudden realization.

Of course! Why didn't he think of it sooner?

Tooth took note of the dream weaver standing up and rapidly formed sandy shapes above his head. "What is it, Sandy?" she asked as she tried to make sense of what he is trying to communicate but they were too fast. From what she could pick up, they were images of an ice cube, some sort of animal, a flame, and a figure of Jack. But other than that, Tooth was unable to get what Sandy is trying to say.

Thankfully, Bunny took the words right out of her mouth. "Hey, slow down, Mate! We can't understand what you're trying to say!"

Sandy made what seemed like a silent huff as he rolled his eyes, deciding to relay on physical charades. He started by pointing a small finger to the bird that never left its perch on Bunny's shoulder. The Pooka blinked as he followed his gesture.

"What? This little guy?" he asked, picking up the bird in his left paw. "What about 'im?"

An image of sand formed above Sandy's wild hair before hovering it above the frozen bird as though to crush it.

"You want to break it!?" Bunny then shielded the little creature with his other hand, appalled at what the dream weaver was suggesting. Honestly, what was he thinking!?

All Sandy could do at the moment was to facepalm himself, shaking his head in frustration as he let out a silent breath. It was at least millennia, and they STILL don't get what he was trying to say.

"Could this have anything to do with Flicker breaking Jack's Icelings?" Tooth spoke up.

Sandy nodded in response to her question. Finally! Someone who gets it!

"Wait a second…" Bunny stated as his green eyes widen with realization. The time when Jack was explaining about Flicker at the Work Shop…

"That's how Jack got hurt!" Tooth looked at him in surprise while Sandy was practically grinning as he nodded more viciously. "Jack is too strong for some crazy bloke too hurt him so easily…Flicker had to have crushed his Icelings and then ambushed him when he was in pain!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Bunny took the moment to think over what he said as his face darkened in anger.

"That dirty bastard!" he cursed out in a growling tone.

Sandy jumped a bit at the Pooka's loud and harsh voice, not used to see him angry. From the way he looked, Bunny resembled what a feral rabbit could have looked like, with his lips pulled back in a snarl and bared his teeth. But this is considered a normal level of anger compared to the past.

"Wait, guys," Tooth piped up, sounding scared. "Jack still has Icelings all over the world, doesn't he?"

Silence hung over them like a cloud as they all stare at each other, the only sounds that can be heard was the occasional pitter patter footsteps off the Easter eggs.

"Uh-oh…" Bunny was the first one to break the silence, with only a whisper.

"We have to go up and hide them!" Tooth exclaimed, hovering off of the ground a bit. She looked like she would take off any moment but it would be like going down a creek without a paddle. There was no telling how MANY Icelings were out there.

And it might be more than Tooth's fairies…seven continents and probably around tens of thousands of kids this year. Bunny then looked down at the little bird, now cupping it in his hands as he swallowed dryly. "Do you think you could help Tooth and Sandy search for your friends?" He knew that the creature couldn't speak but it was worth a chance.

All the bird's glass-like face stared back blankly, providing him no answer. However, what they received was the sound of a soft moan from the still body before them.

"Jack!" Bunny exclaimed as he leaned over the youth. His eyes fluttered a bit and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Jack, can you hear us?" Tooth cooed softly while setting her hand gently upon his shoulder.

That seemed to cause a reaction in him as Jack's eyes suddenly went wide, gasping for air as memories from previous events flooded back into him. His fingers gripped at the grass beneath him and frost bloomed out from his hands, freezing the area around him to which caused the three veteran guardians to step back reluctantly. He was taking deep breaths but he soon gritted his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut when he felt the pain in his chest. Bunny wasted no time returning to Jack's side, feeling the soothing cold against his burnt feet before kneeling down by his side. He was quickly followed by Sandy and Tooth as they gathered around him.

"Jack, calm down…it's alright, mate," Bunny spoke in a slow and soothing tone. "You're safe, we're all here."

His voice seemed to calm him down a bit as Jack relaxed against the ground beneath him, causing the ice to slowly disappear into snowflakes. He released the grass from his death grip and his face softened. He looked around blankly, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He could since his friends' presence around him but he was having a hard time seeing. His foggy eyes locked onto a familiar bright gold form at his left and he squinted, trying to regain his visual focus.

"S-Sandy?" Jack's voice was quiet and hoarse, a result from experiencing pain and screaming out his lungs.

The Sandman nodded softly while looking at Jack with sad eyes. He placed his small hand upon the frost sprite's arm to reassure him that he is here with him. Jack's face contorted with pain again, bringing a shaky head up and almost placed it on his would before Tooth gently grabbed hold of it between her hands instead.

"You're wounded, Jack," she spoke gently to him. "We dressed it up in bandages, so try not to touch them."

Jack tried to squeeze one of Tooth's hands but his fingers merely twitched before going limp. He made an attempt to speak in his deep breaths. "Tooth…Tooth's here…" he turned his head to try and look at her, but she could tell that his foggy blue eyes couldn't picture things very well at the moment. Jack turned his head slowly from side to side, looking all around them. "W-where…" his voice was barely above a whisper.

"You're in the Warren, mate," Bunny stated in a reassuring tone. "Don't worry about that flaming bugger, you're safe with us."

Jack's eyes were still searching. "M-my…my staff…"

"It was right here, Jack, right next to you." Tooth answered quickly. Bunny had accidentally left the boy's staff back in the tunnel when he had escaped from Flicker the night before, but Tooth had been kind enough to go and retrieve it. They all knew how important it was to Jack after all…

Jack's hand slipped out of Tooth's grasp and shakily began blindly searching the ground next to him for his staff. Tooth picked it up and set it in his palm, assuming that he wanted to feel it. Jack felt the safest when he was holding it in his hands, even though he could use his powers without it now that he had so many believers. Jack squeezed the staff in his hand then sighed deeply with relief.

"Guys…" he breathed out.

"What is it, Jack?" Bunny asked, vocally speaking for Sandy and Tooth.

Jack gave a sheepish smile, even though the pain was still evident in his face. "I-I gotta do something real quick," he spoke quickly. He brought his shaking arm up and held his staff to his chest, right next to his injury.

"Uh…" Bunny sounded worried as he stared at him with uneasiness. "Just…what do you have to do, Jack?"

"Maybe it should wait until you're all better." Tooth suggested. Sandy nodded in agreement, conjuring up images of a bed and a clock.

Jack shook his head at their suggestions. "It can't." he then shut his eyes and brought his other hand to grip his staff as well, holding it firmly to his chest. "But it's gonna take all of my energy." He added before taking a deep breath and adopting a focused expression as he meditated.

Bunny panicked, he didn't know what that means but he knew that he doesn't like the implication behind it. His eyes flickered between Tooth and Sandy before leaning over Jack and setting a paw firmly on the boy's own. "Jack, please…"

But he was cut off as soon as the winter spirit was already glowing bright blue.

They all shielded their eyes as Jack's staff started shining brightly; making Bunny quickly lifted his paw away. Soon Jack's entire body was glowing and waves of blue light began dancing off of him in intricate patterns. They pass through all three guardians before stretching off into the darkness of the Warren's tunnels and disappearing.

"What's he doing?" Tooth questioned, still shielding her eyes.

"I don't know," Bunny responded. "I've never seen him do this!" It wasn't a lie, aside from creating Icelings. This is definitely a new ability to witness. As soon it wasn't bright enough, Tooth and Bunny noticed that Sandy was waving his arms madly, taking note at the fact that he was pointing to the frozen bird on the Pooka's shoulder. They both turned and stared at what was happening in awe. The small creature was glowing bright blue, just as Jack was, and as Bunny looked closer he could see its form began to change. Its body shook and it was shrinking rapidly, the bird fluttered its wings in protest before its body changed completely and morphed into a form of a tiny snowflake. Bunny managed to hold out his paw and caught the glass fragment before it fluttered into the grass. It was small, but he managed to make out the intricate details upon the surface as it sat upon his padded palm.

"He turned his Icelings into snowflakes." Tooth stared in awe.

"So that Flicker can't find them." Bunny added. He was a bit saddened by the loss of his little ice friend, holding the glass snowflake to his chest protectively

Jack's body continued to glow and send out blue waves for another thirty minutes, all while the other three guardians watched him in amazement. When the light finally disappeared, his body went limp and his head fell to the side along with his arms. His staff slid off of his body and Tooth quickly caught it before it grazed his wound. It would seem that he became unconscious once again, this time he was more peaceful as his breathing was even.

"Oh, mate…why ya have to go and wear yourself out?" The Pooka spoke softly, placing his paw upon Jack's thigh. Sandy gazed at their youngest member sadly before flickering a stream of sand above the boy's head, causing golden snowflakes to circle over him as the Sandman controlled his dreams. Tooth shifted Jack's head so that it could rest on her lap while she soothingly ran her fingers through his hair.

"He's so responsible…protecting his Icelings even when he's this badly hurt." Tooth smiled down at him fondly. There was a hint of maternal pride in her tone as she continued to stroke his hair.

Bunny nodded in agreement and held the glass snowflake to his eye, observing the blue glow from within its center. Frostbite was really something…there was a possibility that the bird was still with him, even in that form. Sandy observed Bunny before grinning widely as he thought up a perfect idea to lighten the mood before twisting the dream sand a bit.

This is going to be fun…

Bunny blinked and turned away from gazing at the snowflake when he heard Tooth stared giggling. She was covering her mouth to keep her laughter contained but failed.

"What's so funny…?" Then Bunny choked when he saw the current golden image that was hovering over Jack's head. It was an image of Bunny, except he was dancing around in a ridiculous manner while flashing a top hat and a cane. "Oi! Sandy, don't make him dream about _me!_"

Sandy laughed silently as he hovered away quickly when Bunny tried to tackle him. He hopped up another feet before shooting another stream of sand over Jack's head, changing the dream a bit. It now took form of Bunny wearing a tutu, balancing on his toes like a ballerina. The look on the Hope Guardian was priceless as he gawked at the image, completely embarrassed.

"…I'm gonna kill ya, Sandy!"

Bunny leapt after the little golden man, only to miss since the latter escaped on a cloud of golden sand. Sandy taunted him further by giving him a silent raspberry, making Bunny more frustrated. Tooth couldn't help but laugh harder as she watched the two, feeling a bit lighter. However she was silenced as soon as she saw the dream slowly changing.

It was Bunny as his normal self…but this time, he was in front of the little golden version of Jack. And he was being held close in Bunny's arms, his face nuzzling against the latter's chest.

Tooth placed a hand over her mouth before looking over to see Sandy still fleeing from Bunny's wrath.

_Did Sandy make that happen? _She wondered silently.

She looked down to see Jack, who was still asleep upon her lap as a makeshift pillow. His face had a peaceful and serene look. However, there was a shade of violet across his pale cheeks…

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><p>Flicker stretched out his flaming arms and yawned loudly as wisps of smoke escaped his open mouth.<p>

Finally, it's morning!

He was standing at the top of a high building, the highest one he could find in his current location.

What was this town called anyway? Burgeress? Bergin, maybe?

He peered up to the skies as the Sun revealed itself, unbothered by the harsh light blazing into his eyes.

"Good morning, Milord." He greeted, bowing in respect.

The Sun continued to shine brightly, piercing through the surrounding clouds. Flicker sighed in appreciation as he felt the Sun's heat burn into him. His entire body ignited for a moment, rejuvenating his strength and healing the damage he had received earlier from the ice and cold.

"Ok, I have good news and bad news." Flicker began as he crouch down into a comfortable seat on the top of the tower as his flames grew, fueling him with energy. "The good news is- get ready, you're gonna be so proud of me, Sunny!" he trailed off, beaming at the sky above him.

The Sun continued to blaze, in a sort of language that only he could understand.

"I found the one I've been looking for, the one who can balance my soul!" He placed a hand over his flaming chest to emphasize his point. The Sun seemed to dim for a moment, and then shine even brighter than before. "I mean, it did take me a while to find him," Flicker shrugged a bit before looking back up to his Lord. "But I know for a fact that he is the one. There's no mistaking it." He puffed his chest out proudly and grinned.

Then he looked down and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "And as for the bad news…" he spoke quietly. The Sun dimmed a bit as a result, making Flicker hold his hands out in front of him in defense. "Now before you say anything, you should know I fought with all my might for his, Sunny!"

The sky didn't change, and Flicker lowered his arms.

"You see…my little soul mate is a lot stronger than I thought he would be, and he has a lot of friends protecting him who are just as strong as he is." He sighed heavily as Flicker looked down, his shoulders slumping down in defeat. "And well, there's no way I can fight against them on my own."

Then he looked up to the Sun once more, cautious about how his Lord would react. But almost instantly, the light before him grew incredibly brighter and an orange beam shot down and surrounded him in its luminance. A smile split Flicker's face as he gasped in awe when he saw yellow lights danced down from the beam, soon followed by a large red bud that lowered and hovered in front of him. Then the bud opened before splitting off into three different pieces, each one taking a form of a flower. Flicker smiled wider as they surrounded him, each one bearing a dancing flame in its center. One of them softly landed into his open palm, he traced one of the petals with his finger, marveling at the soft texture while at the same time, felt some power surging from it.

Now the Guardians couldn't stand a chance.

Flicker looked up and beamed at his Lord. "Thanks, Sunny, I knew I could count on you!"

The Sun finally dimmed back to its normal brightness as the fire spirit collected the rest of his newly obtained flowers, fondly peering down at them. Now it was time for phase one of his place. Which was brilliant if he do say so himself.

_Don't worry, Jack. We'll be together soon._

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><p>Jamie sat at the end of the stairs as he tied his shoelaces before grabbing his book bag and throwing it over his shoulder. As soon as he stepped outside, he grimaced at how bright the sun was today.<p>

"It's gonna be hot out this week," he spoke to himself, instantly regretting his chosen attire of a long black sleeved shirt with jeans. Honestly, what was he thinking in this type of weather?

Then he frowned when he instantly remembered what month it was. That probably meant that Jack wouldn't be around for a while. Jamie couldn't wait for winter. He honestly wouldn't mind if the white-haired guardian came and made it snow, even if it was in the middle of May.

He just…wanted to see him again.

_I hope he's not too upset…_Jamie thought.

He had been such an idiot to play that stupid game with him. It was a game he had heard about from one of his perverted friends in high school, a guy who did nothing but hook up with girls and do incredibly naughty things with them. How he put up with his antics up to now, he was still finding the answer to. And of course, Jack would have acted surprised; he's a spirit after all. He doesn't do intimate things, all he knew was having fun with children.

_At least I think that's all he knows_. Jamie pondered as he walked down the sidewalk.

He briefly wondered if spirits even could be intimate…Jack was blushing last night after all. Jamie now knew that he had some parts that a normal human boy had, but could he…well, use them? That thought alone made him stop in his tracks and blushed deeply before shaking his head and continued onwards.

_I'm such a pervert, I'm lucky that Jack is still my friend after what I did._

He blushed even harder as the memory of last night and touching Jack's body. He could still remember how Jack's skin felt to the touch, it was cold but the texture was so smooth and soft…

Jamie shook his head and halted before he almost collided with a mailbox.

"Get a hold of yourself, Jamie." He told himself, placing a hand to his head as if it would will away the lewd thoughts from his mind. He could blame his hormones but it would be a sad excuse for it. The last thing he wanted was Jack to be genuinely mad at him…

Then something caught his eye. It was bright and glowing like a flame as it fluttered past him. He walked closer to the object and squint his eyes to see if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. It looked like a snowflake…but it was red…and on fire…

"That's weird…" he whispered. Then Jamie looked all around him to see if Jack was nearby. Did Jack pick up some sort of new trick, turning ice into fire? The flaming snowflake fluttered quickly back u the sidewalk and without a thought, Jamie followed it, feeling the familiar child-like excitement inside of him. It didn't take long for him to be lead towards the forest. Maybe Jack was in the forest, trying to fend off the heat of the sun.

"Jack?" Jamie called out as the little flame flew in between the trees and disappeared out of sight.

The sense of uneasiness filled him as Jamie looked around nervously. For some reason he had a bad feeling about this. Normally whenever Jack is visiting him, he would surprise him with some snow, and that's usually when he was at home. That and the said woods was once housed one of the entrances to the Boogeyman himself. But since that was six years ago, and even though he has some weird dreams from time to time, none of them were that bad to the point of nightmarish. So far, he was in the clear, along with his friends (he still considered them as friends, despite their drifting apart).

Jamie took a deep breath and exhaled, easing his fears before taking a step forward and followed the burning glow as it traveled deeper into the darkness of the forest.

How bad can it be?


	7. Chapter 7: Gone Boy

Sorry for not updating much lately, but real life had been rearing its ugly head at me lately. Not only I had the finals to worry about but I also have volunteer work. Plus, I'm laying low on this site in case of you know what. If you are interested of keeping up with the uncut version of Flicker, please go to AO3. It has all the twelve chapters and the 13th on its way.

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><p>Flicker chapter 7: Gone Boy<p>

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><p>Sandy sat on top of one of the dormant Sentinels, observing the Warren's surroundings in thought. Bunny was still sitting on the grass next to Jack as the latter slept but the entire area looked very peaceful. There were a lot of little white eggs running around, along with butterflies and bees buzzing around the flowers. The grass was lush and healthy and the moss was glowing bright as it slowly grew upon the stone walls.<p>

It was a beautiful sight.

But why did Sandy have such a bad feeling at the moment? Like something horrible was happening.

The Dream Spirit shook his head in doubt and floated down towards Bunny and Jack. Tooth had left hours ago to tend things at her palace after a few teeth had gotten mixed up in their containers. As Queen (and Mother), she had to sort them out, but not without a scolding.

"You think we should redress his bandages again?" Bunny asked as soon the golden man floated down next to him.

Sandy placed a hand to his chin to give it a thought before confirming with a nod of his head. He knelt down before the sleeping winter spirit and started the unwrapping of white cloth from his chest while Bunny fetched a fresh roll from the medical supplies that North had brought along with him on one of his visits. Sandy lifted the bandage of Jack's wound and peered at it carefully.

"What? How's it look?" Bunny asked, sounding anxious.

Sandy smiled up at him reassuringly before gesturing the Pooka to lean down to see for himself. And sure enough, the hole in Jack's chest was almost healed over completely, leaving only a minor gash and some purplish bruising under the skin. The sight made the two beamed at each other.

"Well, that was a lot faster than I expected," Bunny chuckled. He couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the fact that Jack was going to survive. He had no idea what would happen if a spirit was injured severely, but yet at the same time he didn't want to. Sandy smiled broadly before conjuring up an image of a small group of children above his head.

"You think it's because he has so many believers?" He asked.

Sandy nodded and then took the fresh bandages from the Pooka before carefully redress Jack's wound. When he finished, he observed Jack happily but then frowned and looked up at the Earth above him, boring his gaze into the dirt ceiling that seemed to have its own light. What is that feeling he had?

"Everything alright, Sandy?"

The Sandman blinked before turning to Bunny with a smile and nodded. The last thing he wanted was to cause his friend any more stress than necessary, that awful ordeal with Jack and Flicker was enough for him. He formed a smaller version of himself delivering dreams above his head and Bunny got the message.

"Ah, are there some kiddies taking napes during the day?" it was a rhetorical question but in a good natured kind of way.

Sandy forced a smile before conjuring up an old-fashioned biplane before he hopped into it.

"Alright, Mate, just keep a look out for Flicker while you're up there!"

Sandy nodded, taking the warning to heart as he prepared for takeoff. As soon as he was heading for the tunnels, an expression of grim seriousness adorned upon his features while flying out of the Warren. What is this bad vibe that he was feeling?

Bunny watched as the golden plane flew off through on of his tunnels that lead up to the surface before sighing and fell back against the grass with a loud yawn.

"Tired?" a soft voice asked.

"Yeah, a little, I suppose. I've been in the same position all…" _Wait a minute…_

Bunny trailed off before looking down to see Jack smiling up at him.

"Jack!" Bunny immediately practically hopped onto his feet and leaped over to the boy's side. "You're awake!"

Jack grinned up at him before peering into the tunnel where Sandy just disappeared, seeing the tall-tale glow of some remaining dream sand that followed after him. "Where is Sandy going?" he asked in a curious tone. The Pooka happily noted that there was more life in Jack's voice and as he moved his arms a bit, there was no sign of pain or discomfort.

"Just delivering some late dreams," He replied. Jack let out a hum before his brow furrowed as he looked around.

"What time is it anyway?"

"Around noon, I suppose." Bunny responded. "You're a fast healer, by the way." He added, gesturing to Jack's bandages. Jack looked down at himself but instead of focusing on his dressed wounds, he was shocked at the sight of his bare chest.

"Wh-where's my…" then he paused and looked around while bringing his arms up to cover his naked chest. Bunny observed Jack's actions with genuine interest, mentally noted that the younger guardian was almost reacting like he was underdressed.

_Was Jack self-conscious?_ Bunny smiled at the thought. It was both funny and-dare he say it- adorable in a way. Jack finally located his mended sweater and brought it over his arms to slip it on, but Bunny stopped him midway.

"We still need to keep an eye on your wound, so you can put it on later." The tone in Bunny's voice was gentle but there was a hint of amusement that he was trying his best to hide. Jack frowned and settled the sweater on top like a blanket, covering his chest entirely. Much to Bunny's disappointment…

"You don't have to be embarrassed, you know, it's just me. And since you're in the Warren, the only people here are eggs." Bunny stated,

Jack simply looked away from the Pooka, unconsciously bringing the sweater closer to him. "It's not that I'm embarrassed. I just…I've never taken it off before…" It was true, as long as he could remember, Jack had always used his hooded sweater to isolate himself from the outside world while hiding his hands in his pockets or covering his face with his hood. It gave him a warm, protective cocoon-like sensation. Without it, he felt vulnerable and exposed.

Bunny took in what Jack had said and was about to add something insightful to his words when the boy was looking around again with frantic eyes. "Where's Tooth and North?" he asked.

"Palace and the Pole," Bunny answered simply, placing the boy at ease. "They have been in and out of here constantly while you were sleeping, though." Jack nodded before looking down and grew quiet. After a moment of silence, one of them finally broke it.

"Bunny…" Jack spoke up softly. The Pooka leaned in closer, taking note of slight meekness in Jack's voice. "Thanks for saving me…I mean…I remember hearing your voice." Then his face was contorted, obviously troubled by the memory of what happened. Bunny smiled softly in understanding before placing a gentle paw upon the boy's arm.

"Of course, Mate, you would have done the same for me." The look on Jack's face didn't change, letting Bunny settled himself closer to the winter sprite before letting his paw rest upon the blanketed shoulder. "Tell me what happened."

Jack gave a half-hearted smile, which seemed bitter in Bunny's eyes. "I shouldn't have left Jamie's house…" he began, repeating Bunny's words from earlier.

"Why did you leave Jamie's house?" The Pooka asked, urging Jack to explain. He needed to know what happened.

"Some of my Icelings…have a lot more power than others." Jack brought his hands up in front of him to try and help him explain. Bunny remained silent, but nodded, urging him to speak further. "And Flicker…well he broke a weaker one first so that I would go to the woods. It turned out to be a trap."

Bunny nodded as he let out a soft hum. It would seem Sandy's theory about Flicker breaking the Icelings had been right.

"But even then, I would have been strong enough to take him on."

Bunny's brow furrowed at this. He was saying that even if some of his Icelings have been broken, he could still fight with his full strength? If so that is the case…'Then how could he…?"

"He found another," Jack continued. "And that one happened to be the strongest one I've ever created." He let out a sigh and grimaced. "It was the owl that I kept outside of Jamie's window…I shouldn't have sent it out into the forest for so long…man, it hurt so bad when it broke." Jack closed his eyes and took deep breaths in order to calm himself.

Bunny stared at him in sympathy, even though he could never fully understand the experience that Jack had encountered. Seeing his eggs destroyed was one thing, but he couldn't grasp of the sensation of a creation that is literally a part of you destroyed. "So, that's when he hurt you…right after the owl?"

Jack nodded as he absent mindedly laid a hand over his wound. Bunny let out a sigh but playfully ruffled the boy's white hair, causing him to grin. "Well, there's no way he can break them anymore, right?" he pointed out as he reached over and held up the small glass snowflake for him to see.

"Whoops, I didn't mean to change yours." Jack apologized, smiling. He brought one of his hands up and touched the snowflake with a fingertip, causing the ice to shift and suddenly revert back to its bird form. Bunny smiled as the little thing chirped cheerfully and flew onto his shoulder.

"Hey, welcome back, Little Jack!" Bunny greeted in a singsong tone.

Jack frowned as violet dusted his pale cheeks. "Little Jack?" he questioned.

"What?" Bunny stated with a grin as he stroked the frozen bird's feathered breast. "These things are basically you, just in a smaller package."

Jack laughed softly at this new interpretation of his Icelings. Honestly, he had never thought of that. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the pitter patter of tiny egg feet as Jack stared up at the ground above him. He hated being stuck in one place. He wanted to move, feel the Wind carry him around in the air as he felt the comforting chill upon his skin. But in his current situation…it would seem that he had to wait for a while.

He hated waiting.

"Hey, Bunny?" Jack spoke up.

"Eh?" Bunny currently had a line of eggs waiting in front of him as he picked each one and examined them for cracks. Busy as always, but he managed to make the time for a chat.

"Can I talk to you about…something?"

Bunny looked away from his eggs. There was something off about the tone in Jack's voice. "About?" he urged.

"Jamie." It was a simple but yet usual response to which Bunny always smiled at.

"Oh, of course, Mate." Jack often came to Bunny for advice about Jamie, especially since the anklebiter had hit puberty. "What's up? Is he having one of those mood swings again?" Bunny asked as he returned to his eggs, which were currently kicking at him to get his attention.

"Not really…he had me play some weird game with him." Jack replied as his gaze ventured around the Warren.

"Oh? What kind of game?" Bunny was starting to lose interest as he continued to tend to his eggs.

"A game where you touch each other..." It was quiet, but he could pick it up with his sensitive ears. This caused Bunny to pause and began to choke a bit before turning himself around to look at Jack with wide eyes.

"What?!"

Jack smiled sheepishly. "I mean, I didn't really think much of it at first. I was tickling him to death the whole time…but when it was his turn to touch me…"

"Wait a second, wait a second," Bunny held a paw up with his eyes closed. His expression was contorted into a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "What kind of bloody game_ is_ this?!"

Jack chuckled a bit and scratched his head. "Jamie called it Nervous, it sounded innocent enough…" he then trailed off at the end.

"Innocent?!" Bunny looked appalled as he gathered his bearings. "What kind of _innocent_ game has a name like that!?" He placed a paw to his forehead to calm himself when he realized that he was shouting. He had been worried about something like this happening with Jamie!

_That little devilish teenager!_

Jack observed the Pooka, wondering why he was overreacting so much. It wasn't like Bunny was the one who had been touched strangely.

"Ok…ok…" Bunny took a deep breath and exhaled, regaining his composure. "So, what happened when Jamie touched you?" he asked slowly.

Jack looked around the Warren, pretending it was hard for him to remember but in actuality, it was still fresh in his mind. "Nothing really…it was just…the way he was touching me was kind of Weird. And my body kept getting colder, I couldn't control my temperature."

Bunny looked thoughtful at the last part. _Jack can't control his temperature when he is being touched?_

An image of Jack arching on the ground with a pleasure-filled face and frost collecting his features entered the Pooka's mind. He shook his head wildly to try and find off the image.

_What's so attractive about Jack not being able to control his powers?_

"Ok…" Bunny spoke carefully. "So, where did he touch you exactly?" He noticed Jack's cheeks getting a darker shade of violet before the winter sprite laughed and looked away from him.

"Oh just here…" He held his hand up and pointed down at his chest.

"…And here…" he pointed to his stomach.

"And….here…" Jack's voice became quiet before quickly pointing towards his hips for a split second and snatched his hand back to the side. Bunny barely caught the last motion but he knew what he meant.

"He WHAT?!" Bunny's mouth dropped open in shock. He hadn't expected Jamie to go THAT far.

"I think it might have been an accident though! Yeah, it must have been!" Jack let out a nervous laugh, shrugging it off. Bunny shook his head and sighed deeply. Clearly, Jack didn't understand the extent of Jamie's feelings.

"Jack, I think the fact that Jamie _wanted_ to play that game with you says something."

Jack gave him a curious look. "Says what?" he asked, feeling a bit nervous on what the older guardian meant.

"It says that Jamie has feelings for you…feelings that go deeper than friendship."

Jack fell silent as his eyes widened in realization. Some of Jamie's behavior suddenly made sense to him. All those times he would blush or nuzzle closer to his body…all those compliments and shy touches that Jack thought nothing off…

Did Jamie actually…love him?

Bunny observed the way Jack's lit up in thought, knowing that the boy understood.

"Jamie…loves me." He spoke softly, mostly to himself. His expression suddenly turned somber and Bunny frowned at this, assuming that Jack was against the idea of Jamie liking him.

"Yeah, well…" Bunny started as he turned back to his eggs, which one of them is tapping rather impatiently. "Jamie is a human and you're a spirit, after all, so you don't have to worry about those feelings. Something like that would never…"

Bunny was cut off when he felt Jack hit him rather roughly on the leg. He let out a sharp yelp and then looked down at Jack with wide eyes. "What was that for…?" He paused when he saw Jack's face clearly. The boy was giving him a rather icy glare that is enough to chill him to the bone (no pun intended) and he looked completely offended.

"Don't you dare say something like that, Bunny! I would never turn down Jamie's feelings just because we're different!" His tone was harsh and angry, he hadn't expected for Jack to react this badly.

_I really need to think about what I say before I say it. He thought. _He instantly had a brief flashback when Jack was recruited for guardianship. He still hasn't forgotten how the boy looked when he said that he doesn't exist for 300 years. Looking back, he looked like he was about to cry, and within an instant, he felt the dull sensation of despair in his heart.

"Sorry! I-I didn't…I mean, I thought…" the way he stumble around his words was pathetic, even when he was genuinely about to apologize.

Jack's glare then softened as he let out a heavy sigh. "I mean…love is love. It doesn't matter how different you are." He spoke quietly.

Bunny instantly closed his mouth shut and froze in surprise as his mind registered what Jack had said.

_Love is love?_ Bunny mentally repeated the words. _Jack really doesn't care if someone who loves him is different? He would…love them back?_

A smile slowly inched its way onto Bunny's face, until he remembered that it was Jamie that they were talking about. He couldn't help but feel crestfallen at this information.

"So do you…" Bunny began, trying to hide the worry in his tone. Jack peered up at him curiously, making him swallow before speaking further. "Do you…love Jamie then?"

Jack sighed and looked down, brought his knees up to his chest. There was a pained expression upon his face. Again, reminding him of the words that he shouldn't have said.

"I have would have tried to love him back," he admitted. "But…Jamie keeps getting older. He's going to die one day and I'll still be here. So having a relationship like that with him would just hurt too much."

Bunny understood his sorrow of Jamie getting older each year. They all feared the day when one of their beloved children would end up buried in the grave, which is considered worse than no longer believing in them. However the Pooka couldn't help but feel relieved- and yet hopeful- about Jack's feelings.

"Jack." He spoke softly. Jack turned his head but shifted back a bit when he saw Bunny's face a few inches from his own. "I'll never die, ya know…"

Jack smiled and nodded, but there was something about the rabbit-like creature's tone that made the violet blood rush to Jack's cheeks. It was almost as if he just made an unbreakable vow just now. "Yeah, you better not!" he chuckled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Bunny remained close to Jack, debating in his head whether or not to take action. After a while, he decided to throw all caution to the wind as he moved his face closer to the latter's. His nose twitched as it picked up Jack's unique scent of winter air, pine, and mint. He sighed deeply and moved closer to breathe in more.

"Bunny?" Jack grew a bit nervous when he felt whiskers upon his neck. Then a bright light appeared in the center of the Warren before swirling around into a multi-colored portal. Bunny quickly tore his body way from Jack as the younger guardian turned his head in surprise. North stepped through the said portal, carrying a rather large sack over his shoulder. When he saw Jack, he grinned widely and walked over to him.

"Jack! Awake at last! How do you feel?" North was happy to see that their charge was doing better. The color had returned to his face and there was plenty of life in those bright blue eyes. He also took note of the heavy glare that Bunny was sending him.

Did I interrupt something?

"North! I'm doing great!" Jack stated happily as he shifted a bit from where he was laying on the ground.

The Guardian of Wonder skipped over to the boy's side then flipped his sack onto the ground next to them with a loud thump. He kneeled next to Jack and observed his bandages carefully while stroking his white beard. Jack smiled and tried to sit up, but winced as there was still a bit of pain in his chest. Bunny immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him back down gently.

"Easy, Mate, you shouldn't be moving around yet." He told him sternly.

Jack only laughed softly as he looked up to him with reassurance. "I'm fine, really, Bunny."

"Ah, yes, you feel fine," North added. "But when I'm done with you, you will be feeling _fantastic_!"

Bunny and Jack gazed up at the large man cautiously. "When…you're done with me?" Jack spoke up, trying to make sure that he wasn't hearing things. North let out his trademark bellowing laugh before pulling his sack towards them and began rummaging through its contents.

"Just a few remedies from the Yetis and the elves, they heard you were injured and they wanted to help." He explained with a smile.

Both Jack and Bunny exchanged unsure looks before turning back to North.

"I'm not really sure that's necessary." Bunny pointed out, having a feeling about these so-called remedies, if he could call them that. "Jack's wound has healed a lot, I'm not sure he…"

"Bunny, Bunny, Bunny." North spoke his name like the Rabbit was a toddler, not a creature that is as old as (or perhaps older) than time itself. "Trust me…I know what I'm doing." He let out a chuckle before pulling out the needed items. There were several candles, a box of matches, a large tome-like book, a box of cookies, a few bells, and an actual living elf (how did he survive in that sack!?) which he placed next to him before lining up the rest of the items parallel to Jack's body.

Jack and Bunny looked at each other again. Jack had a fearful look on his face while Bunny was about to burst into laughter.

"Alright, let us begin!" North stated.

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><p>Sandy was standing on his created balloon, gazing around the city thoughtfully as his dream sand swirled away from him in waves, dancing around the houses and taking note of each child's presence. His sand could do more than just shift about dreams, they can monitor and keep track of every child around the world and relay back to him, exactly like Jack's Icelings but more sophisticated.<p>

He knew school had just ended for today, and even if the children hadn't gone straight home, his sand trails could still find them. There was one child, however, that his sand was having a lot of trouble finding. And that certain child gave Sandy an uncomfortable bubbling feeling in his stomach.

But it was possible that his sand had made a mistake.

He frowned slightly before changing the balloon into a giant fish and rode it towards Jamie's house. He leaped from his sand and gently hovered into the boy's window. What he found was an empty bedroom, no Jamie in sight.

Sandy scratched the back of his head then stepped carefully into the house and pattered down the stairs. He knew that the only ones that can see him are Sophie and their dog, Abby, but he can't alert the attention of their parents. He saw Jamie's mother on the phone, her voice sounded a bit frantic as she tried to speak as calmly as possible. He also saw Jamie's father walking around the house, calling out Jamie's name in vain. And there was Sophie, sitting on a chair at the kitchen table with a very fearful expression on her face.

This sight made him worry more. The dream spirit quickly hovered out of the house and stood atop of their roof. He had to be sure that Jamie hadn't just run from home in a rebellious fit. He had to be sure that Jamie really was missing. Sandy brought his arms above him and sent out more streams of dream sand to swivel quickly around the houses and certain areas of the city. They shot through windows and swirled around lamp posts, searching every inch of the town for Jamie's presence.

After a while, Sandy's arms fell as his eyes were wide with horrified realization.

He had searched the entire city…but Jamie was gone.


	8. Chapter 8: At the Edge of the World

The updates on this site might be slow compared to AO3 uncut versions but there is a possibility that I might stop at one point in this version. Due to the strict rules on this site (and the possibility of people who wanted to report this for reasons or lolz), Flicker as well as Ostara might continue on further on the other site. Still debating on that.

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><p>Flicker Chapter 8: At the Edge of the World<p>

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><p>Sandy was frantic as he flew down through the grassy tunnel and descended quickly towards the Warren. He had to create a makeshift rocket out of sand and was clinging to it carefully, so he wouldn't fall off. Usually he didn't make such fast moving transportations, but in this case, he had to make an exception. The rocket finally blasted through the opening of the tunnel, sending sand flying in every direction as he entered the Warren. He spotted Jack and the others, allowing him to leap off of his ride, letting it disperse back into golden streams of sand.<p>

Upon hovering closer to his fellow guardians, however, Sandy had to pause and wait for his mind to register the sight before him.

Jack was lying very still on the ground, with his blue sweater back on and Bunny still by his side, the same place where the Pooka had been all day. But the only difference is that North was next to them, holding a large book while reading strange verses which Sandy recognized as Yeti language. There were several burning candles surrounding Jack's body as a single elf stood by the boy's head. The small elfin creature had a scowl on his face and was trying to shove cookies into Jack's mouth while ringing some several tiny bells in his other hand. The poor boy was grimacing throughout the whole ordeal, looking helpless while Bunny had a huge smile on his face while trying to keep his laughter contained. North paused in his reading of…whatever it was, probably one of the Yeti texts when he saw Sandy hovering towards them.

"Sandy! You're back!" He bellowed out cheerfully, closing his book-rather loudly, Sandy noted- as he spread his arms out in a welcoming manner. The dream spirit's face was contorted in confusion as he held his hands out, gesturing to the scene in front of him while a golden question mark appeared above his head.

"We're performing remedies to…pfft…to help with Jack's healing." Bunny explained, trying very hard not to burst into a fit of laughter which is an impossible feat. The Russian man looked over to the Pooka with an offended look.

"What is so funny?" There was a hint of scolding in his tone as he glared at him. This would only cause Bunny to cover his mouth tightly with a paw as soon as he let out a barely contained chortle.

Sandy stared at them blankly for a moment but shook his head and adopted a serious expression. Jack's brow furrowed at the look on the short man's face as he gingerly sat up. He only had that look when he went up against Pitch (and practically handed his ass to him).

"What is it, Sandy?" he asked.

That question caused Bunny to be silent as he and North both looked at Sandy expectantly. He took a deep breath before conjuring up images that were starting to form rapidly above his heads while moving his hands around animatedly, but they changed too fast for any of them to follow.

"Whoa, slow down, Mate! I can't understand you." Bunny pointed out, his eyes were flickering back and forth between each image appearing over the golden yellow hair. The only image that he picked out was a small boy but the rest were vague.

The dream spirit let out a silent sigh before looking at Jack carefully. He knew the only way to explain was to actually use words, however if he does that, Jack would react on impulse. But…what other choice does he have? Everyone watched as Sandy looked down with a very cautious expression before allowing his sand to slowly form into letters.

_**Jamie is gone.**_

All of their eyes went wide with shock and Jack was on his feet instantly, ignoring the slight pain in his chest. He stood there frozen as he stared at the golden letters before him, taking them in with horror.

"Gone? You mean…" Bunny breathed out, still processing the new information.

The Wind reacted to Jack's emotion and blew out the candles surrounding them, leaving several trails of smoke behind. Bunny was about to place his paws on Jack's shoulders to force him to lie back down, but Jack suddenly flew forward and landed on his knees before Sandy. He placed both of his hands on the dream spirit's small shoulders and searched his face with a pleading look.

"How long has he been gone? Did you see Flicker?! Did Flicker take him?! Did you see Jamie?!" Jack was desperate, and it showed on how fast he talked. Unfortunately, each answer he had received was in a form of Sandy shaking his head sadly at each question. He let out a shaky gasp as he stared at the ground with wide eyes. He couldn't help but feel numb, his shoulders were shaking and he was taking deep breaths. He could barely register the fact that Sandy's hand upon his arm.

_It's all my fault…!_ Was the only thing that ran through Jack's mind. Flicker took Jamie because of him! And he had been resting this whole time in the Warren without even a slightest clue. He should have checked on Jamie as soon as he woke up. He should have had his Icelings looking after him!

_I have to go find him. _

He noticed that North was working out a plan as they thought about how to rescue Jamie. "…We'll need to use something to contact Tooth as soon as possible. Sandy and I will take the sleigh and search for Flicker in the air while you can Jack search the ground." Bunny nodded quickly at each statement as North gave out his instructions. The Pooka turned his attention back to Jack and saw him still kneeling before Sandy in devastation while the dream spirit tried to comfort the poor boy.

Damn that bastard Flicker! He not only endangered a child but Jamie of all people, the Last Light, the child who practically saved them! He was going to pay dearly for this…and Jack was still hurt…

Wait a minute…

He suddenly froze when he saw Jack's face turn and locked onto one of his tunnels, his blue eyes were glowing with defiant confidence. He wouldn't…

"NO!" Bunny leaped forward, launching himself at Jack in an attempt to grab hold of him. However, Jack was quicker and dodged the rabbit man's arms before shooting forward on a gust of wind and propelled himself into one of the tunnels. Bunny was instantly racing after him on all fours as he yelled at the boy from behind, "Stop, Jack! Don't go by yourself! That's what Flicker wants!"

The Pooka's body disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel, leaving North and Sandy standing in shock on what happened before them. The Russian was the first to collect his bearings before pulling out one of his snow globes out of his coat pocket and looked down at Sandy.

"We have to act quickly!" he exclaimed. "There is not time to contact Tooth!"

Sand nodded in agreement as North whispered their destination into the globe before tossing it to the ground. A bright swirling portal was opened and the two guardians walked through it, needing to get the much needed equipment.

* * *

><p>Jack was hovering in the clouds, looking all around for any sign of that damned fire spirit or Jamie. But all he could see was the harsh rays of the sun gleaming down at him.<p>

_Why was it so bright?_ He thought to himself before shoving it back of his mind. He had no time to think about that, since it wasn't overwhelmingly hot. Right now, he was feeling frantic…and helpless. And since he had hidden all his Icelings, there was no way he could contact any of them for guidance as a way to find Flicker.

Jack let out a huff and spat ice out of his mouth angrily. He didn't know how, but he was going to find Flicker and make the man pay for even laying a finger on Jamie. He would freeze every inch of the continent if he had to.

Jack did a double take when he noticed a small orange ball flutter past his vision. He flew over to it and observed it before grasping it in his fist, causing the flame to go out and leaving behind a black ash in Jack's palm. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt and he didn't suffer any burns.

_Flicker had to be close._

Jack looked down to see another ball of fire hovering by and when he flew down towards it and peered past the clouds, he could see a whole trail of glowing fireballs appearing from the East. He knew it was a trap, but all he cared about at the moment was finding Jamie.

He flipped his staff behind him and shot his body like a bullet forward to follow the trail of flames.

Bunny stood on the ground, staring upwards at the sky. His ears were up in the air as his body was on alert, looking very much like a real rabbit despite the large proportion. There wasn't much he could do when Jack disappeared into the clouds as soon as he was out of the tunnel opening. For once, he hated being the only guardian who couldn't fly. There were alternatives but if past experiences have taught him something, it wasn't a good idea at the moment.

Bunny ran through the forest for a while, hoping that he could spot Jack flying above him at some point but the sun was blinding him. He halted in his chase before kicking a tree stump in frustration. He had told himself that he wasn't going to leave Jack's side, and yet here he was…stuck on Earth without a clue as to which direction the winter sprite had gone.

And not only that, he was still injured!

_I have to go back and find North,_ He thought, feeling ashamed of his uselessness.

He tapped his foot onto the ground but as soon as his tunnel opened, a familiar little blue streak flew out of it. Bunny grinned as he saw his ice bird fly down and circle around his head before perching himself on his extended hand.

"Good timing, Little Jay. Ya think ya could help me find Jack?" he asked.

The little creature's glass eyes seemed to gleam as he tweeted out his response.

That was all he needed.

"Alright then!" Bunny then opened up another tunnel and leapt down.

Jack lowered himself slowly to the ground, dodging trees as he entered a forest that he had never seen before. He had been flying and following the fireballs for hours until the trail finally dropped back towards Earth. He looked around as his bare feet made contact to the twigs and grass. Despite the shade from the trees, the sun was still blazing down on him, making him breathe harder from the heat. He cautiously ventured through the foreign woods, with his staff pointing forward in defense.

Was this place close to the equator? In all of his 300 years venturing the world and bringing snow with him, Jack had never seen this place before. Is he still on Earth? He paused in his steps when his feet met hard stone instead of grass. He peered forward to see that the forest was suddenly broken off and engulfed in an area made of rock rather than dirt. The stone was sizzling hot from the sun's rays; Jack had to produce ice from the bottom of his feet in order to cool down the entire clearing as he took a step forward.

_It took quite a bit of effort to cool it down, though…geez. _

Jack walked into the center then looked around curiously. There are giant grey statues surrounding the area. Each one stood along the edge near the first, creating a circle of bulky stone masses. They were facing the center of the clearing in the exact spot where Jack stood. He flew up closer to one of them and observed it with interest. It towered over him, and the closest height he could compare it to was somewhere around the height of Statue of Liberty, minus the platform. The statue's shape resembled a human despite the lack of facial features and armored covered body of unknown origins, thought the closest thing he could pin down is an odd combination of samurai and Aztec. What he noticed is that every single statue had their hands closed together in front of their missing faces.

_It looks like they're praying,_ Jack thought.

Suddenly the stone soldier shifted with a loud crack. Jack leaped back to the ground in surprise while aiming his staff at the statue. The said statue's chest began glowing bright red markings of some kind appeared and traveled upwards to cover the soldier's smooth face in an intricate manner. Jack looked around quickly to see the other statues had begun glowing as well and their thick arms slowly dropped from their positions of holy prayer. He twirled in a circle, his heart beating frantically as the statues started to step closer to him with loud thuds against the hard stone.

_What the Hell are these things?! _

"Jackie! You came for me!"

Jack's eyes narrowed when he heard Flicker's voice and he instantly turned around to shoot ice to the spot. But the only thing that froze was the arm of one of the surrounding statues, all of which had halted and were standing in a circle around Jack. Flicker appeared then, jumping up from behind the statue that Jack had frozen. The flaming spirit grinned and observed the ice covered stone.

"Oooh, that wasn't very nice." He playfully scolded.

Jack shot another beam of ice at Flicker but latter dodged it with a backflip and perched onto the head of another statue.

"Where's Jamie?!" he yelled, crouching down in a defensive stance and pointed his staff at the man's head.

Flicker only chuckled as he hopped from the statue's head to its shoulders, relaxing his body while throwing an arm around the bulking neck. The red patterns seemed to shine even brighter against the flame spirit's touch.

"Do you like my new friends?" He asked, giving the statue underneath him a good pat.

A growl escaped from Jack's lips as he shot ice at him again, only hit the statue's face this time as Flicker leaped behind it for cover.

"Where's. Jamie?!" he demanded a second time as his patience was reaching its limit. Flicker appeared again appeared again from behind a statue on the opposite side of the stone clearing and Jack spun around, glaring hard at the flaming man.

"Who? That little boy?" he asked with a false look of innocence. "Why do you need him? You have me, after all." Flicker smiled as he placed a hand to his chest.

Jack was breathing heavily now, trying to keep himself calm but failing. He was clenching his staff so tight, that his knuckles were becoming paler as they shook with rage, storing a large amount of blue energy from within his staff. Flicker leaned over and squint his yellow eyes, scanning Jack's body up and down with interest.

"Has your injury healed already, Jack?" There was a slight purr to his tone.

Jack ignored the question as he pointed his staff at him. "I swear, if you lay one finger on Jamie…"

"You'll what?"

Jack jolted when he heard the voice right behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Flicker behind him and whipped back to see that the spot in front of him was bare. When did he…how?! His questions went unanswered when Flicker leaned over and licked the shell of Jack's ear with a strangely hot tongue.

"GAH!" he cried out as he flipped around and released the energy from his staff and shot it at Flicker's chest.

The flame spirit simply placed up a hand up to block the attack and within an instant, the ice melted and evaporated upon contact. Jack's eyes went wide in horror at the revelation. He knew that their respective elements could cancel each other out with given enough juice, but this is nothing compared to the past experience from his encounter with Flicker.

"Wha…"

"What do you think, Jack?" Flicker asked as he held his hands up in pride. "I'm really strong now that my Lord has given me new powers, aren't I?" He grinned up at the sky above them and Jack followed his gaze until he was squinting up at the blazing sun.

_The sun…?_ He thought, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Flicker grinned as he observed his beloved winter sprite. He pushed his arms out and effortlessly caused a huge wave of fire to circle around the clearing, surrounding the entire area in flames. Jack's gaze followed the ring of inferno and a spike of fear arose inside of him. He did not like fire was considered an understatement in this situation.

"Well?" Flicker urged while taking a step towards him. "You didn't answer me."

Jack was jolted out of his thoughts again and leaped away when Flicker appeared only an inch in front of him. The flame spirit took deliberate slow steps towards the latter, making Jack back away cautiously. The brief waltz was quickly ended when his back met one of the statues and the large stone arms immediately grabbed him and lifted him off of his feet. Jack wasted no time flailing in the statue's clutches, kicking his legs wildly. His staff was stuck in between his arms as he tried to loosen the soldier's grip but to no avail.

Flicker beamed at this turn of events and practically leaped closer to Jack, his face only inches away. He froze for a moment to stare back at Flicker with wide eyes.

"Jack, why do you keep struggling?"

For once, Jack could hear honest emotion in the other spirit's words when he asked that question, making him to cease in his struggling. "Can't you see it?" Golden-yellow eyes looked deep into his blue ones as he continued to speak. "We're soul mates! We belong together! We may be opposite, but our powers are meant to balance one another!" His eyes were gleaming like embers and he had a joyful look on his face to the point that it looked disturbing. Jack frowned at this and tried to look away, but Flicker shifted his face to stay in front of the boy's gaze; waiting for an answer.

"So…I'm the reason you've been doing all this?" he finally spoke up. "The only thing you want is _me_?"

Flicker grinned and nodded. Was Jack finally coming to his senses?

Jack's blue eyes met with Flicker's and he spoke in a low and serious tone.

"Then let Jamie go, he has nothing to do with this."

Flicker frowned but licked his lips and chuckled. "Very well, anything for my lovely ice rose." He stepped backwards from Jack and flicked his wrist, causing the stone soldier to release its hold. Jack fell to his feet and rubbed his arms gingerly before looking at Flicker, placing his guard up. The flaming man lifted a hand and pointed a blazing finger at Jack's direction.

"However…" he chimed. "You have to do something for me, if you want your little friend back."

Jack's eyes narrowed at this.

"Like what?" he asked, even though he's already dreading the answer.

Flicker licked his lips again. "You'll see." He walked forward and placed a foot carefully onto a random spot in the center of the stone clearing. "Do you know about portals, Jack?" He asked as the ground beneath his shoe began glowing bright orange and a circular portal opened up in front of him. It acted very much like one of North's snow globes, only difference it has a mixture of dark red and orange.

Jack braced his bare feet against the ground as he watched the other spirit reach an arm through the glowing opening and pull out a small familiar form. He barely contained a gasp as he lowered his staff, his composure instantly gone.

"Jamie!" He cried out, his voice was breaking with mixed emotions of relief and fear.

Flicker chuckled as he held the young brunet in front of him. There was a cloth around the boy's mouth to keep him quiet and another was binding his arms firmly behind his back. Jamie's body was shaking in fear as tears welled up in his eyes. He let out a muffled cry that sounded like Jack's name. Jack gave him a gentle smile, though his own heart was beating rapidly against his chest.

"It's alright, Jamie, you're going to be ok," he reassured him. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Jamie's shoulders shuddered with silent sobs but shook his head no. Jack started walking towards him but quickly halted when Flicker held a flaming hand next to Jamie's face. Jamie wince in response and squeezed his eyes shut in fear.

"I need a favor from you first, Jack." Flicker stated in a low tone.

Jack shot him a glare, but didn't make any further movement in order to keep Jamie safe.

"...Fine." he replied. "What is it?"

Flicker grinned widely as the flames on his shoulders grew with excitement. Jack watched when the flame spirit held out his fist and opened it, allowing a red flower to hover from his palm and gently flutter towards him. Jack squinted and observed the little plant curiously as soon as it came close. The flower itself was interesting, somehow resembling a mixture of a small daisy and a cherry blossom. Its petals have a dark red color, reminding him of blood. But what drew his attention was a small flame dancing in the very center of it.

He stared at it for a moment before looking up to Flicker questioningly, at which the latter grinned.

"Eat it." It was a simple instruction, but there was a hint of commanding behind those two words. Jack's brow furrowed, shifting his gaze from Flicker to the floating flower before him. Jamie began struggling in the flame spirit's grip while letting out muffled sobs.

"All I have to do is eat this and you'll let Jamie go?" he asked.

Flicker nodded and played with a lock of Jamie's hair, twirling it around his hot fingers as the strands sizzle against the heat. Jack narrowed his eyes in doubt and picked up the flower up with his fingertips. He observed it as it dangled from his grasp by a petal. It was only a flower when given normal circumstances, but the fact that it was on fire would probably be bad for Jack's health. And a part of him knew that there had to be some sort of magic connected to this plant thanks to his studies with North.

Something would probably happen to him once he ate it.

_But I don't have any other choice. _

It was Jamie, one of his best friends, on the line. He died saving his sister, and he would do the same for Jamie in a heartbeat. He turned his attention back to Jamie and smiled softly at him. Jamie in turn shaking his head at Jack, knowing that there was something wrong about that flower.

"Don't worry about me, Jamie, I'm a Guardian." He reassured him. "I'm going to be alright, and so are you."

Jamie continued to stare at Jack, he stopped sobbing but there were tears streaming down his face. His eyes were red and puffy as he sniffled underneath his gag which was getting soaked from saliva and tears. That image alone was enough to break Jack's heart. Then Jack's eyes suddenly flicked to a spot behind Jamie's head when he noticed a grey tail shoo past his vision.

Was that…?

Jack quickly tore his eyes away so that Flicker wouldn't notice. He looked back at Jamie and smiled encouragingly at him as he straightened his body and held the flower above his face. Jamie was shaking his head frantically while Flicker leaned over, he could see his face was filled with eagerness and excitement. Jack opened his mouth but paused and took a step forward. He held his other hand out with his staff tucked between his arm and the side of his body.

"I have to be sure that you're going to let Jamie go." He stated, leaving no room for an argument.

Flicker frowned and blew smoke out of his nose in irritation. He pushed Jamie forward so that he would be closer to Jack, but still kept a firm hold on the teen's arms. Jack slowly inched closer, his left hand almost touched Jamie's arm but Flicker immediately yanked him back a bit before growling out impatiently.

"Eat it, Jack!" his tone was rough and clearly didn't want to have his patience tested even further. Jack took a deep breath and exhaled, before closing his eyes and opened his mouth as he released the flower from his fingers. The bright blossom slowly floated into Jack's mouth as Jamie's muffled cries became more frantic until…

"NO!"

Jack's eyes snapped open when he heard Bunny's yell and bit down the flower by the petals just before it fell into his mouth. Flicker spun around in surprise when the Pooka appeared and launched himself onto the stone soldier that stood behind its flaming master. The statue teetered a bit and threw its bulky arms out to try to balance itself, but toppled over anyway with Bunny standing on top of it.

Jack took advantage of Flicker's sudden distraction and grabbed hold of Jamie's arm. He tugged hard and practically ripped the teenager from Flicker's grasp. He wrapped the boy protectively in his arms as he jumped back and leaped into the air. He kicked off of a statue's head to propel himself over the ring of fire but it suddenly grew taller. Jack halted in mid-flight and looked around frantically.

_I have to get Jamie out of here._

Flicker was enraged at this turn of events. He yellowed out in anger and the flames on his shoulders expanded, almost igniting his entire body. He reached out to the flames in the clearing, making them grew harsher thanks to his current emotion. How did that damned rabbit found this place?

Bunny was busy fighting off stone soldiers as they all began gathering around him to fend off the intruder. Luckily for him, they were extremely slow due to their massive size and he spun around one of them before kicking it hard in the head. It toppled over, letting off a loud crack and broke some pieces with Bunny standing on its back. He looked up to the air, searching the skies for Jack. Soon, he spotted the winter spirit at the other end of the clearing. He had Jamie wrapped around his arms and was zipping around quickly, trying to find an opening. However, the flames were growing larger in front of him every time he moved towards the edge. Bunny let out a sigh of relief when he noticed the red flower was crushed between Jack's teeth.

_Thank goodness, he didn't swallow it._

He had been listening to Jack and Flicker's conversation while hiding behind the trees. He knew something bad would happen if Jack ate that flower. It looked exactly like one of the flowers the Moon had warned them about. Bunny dodged another soldier as it tried to swipe him with a broken arm. He leaped out of the pile of mostly broken statues before noticing Flicker flying towards Jack with his flaming hands extended. He reacted quickly and threw his boomerang, causing it to fly around and strike Flicker in the head with a loud thwack.

The flaming man cried out and fell back to the stone ground. He held his head and looked around the clearing with anger literally igniting in his golden eyes. He let out a wrathful roar, fire escaping from his mouth as a result while the flames around his body grew with each second. As soon as his yellow eyes landed on Bunny, he let out a threatening snarl as he glared at him.

Bunny caught his boomerang as it flew back to him and he beckoned the demon closer with his other hand.

_Come on, I dare you to fight me._

Accepting the challenge, Flicker was about to charge at the rabbit, but he looked up in surprise when North's sleigh suddenly appeared in the sky, taking out a few trees as it descended lower. Bunny smiled when he saw North and Sandy both peering over the edge of the sleigh, looking ready to aid him in battle.

Jack flew in closer to the sleigh as the reindeer pulled it over to the stone clearing.

"Fwandy!" He yelled out with the flower was still clenched between his teeth. He threw Jamie into the air with all his might and Sandy stook on the edge of the sleigh with his hands out. Jamie's body flew a bit short, but he managed to get caught in Sandy's dream sand and was pulled into the safety of the sleigh.

Flicker growled as he shook with rage. His plan was completely falling apart…he had to do something.

That is when he noticed the red flower was still stuck between Jack's teeth. He held out his hand towards Jack and curled his fingers, reaching out to the flower with his powers, begging for it to react.

"Swallow!" he screamed out.

Jack's eyes widen in surprise when the flower in his mouth suddenly slipped past his teeth. Somehow the petals started to move on their own and he chocked as it crawled down his throat, forcing its way inside as it caused him to gag on reflex. Bunny saw the whole thing happened from below and was about to leap towards him, if it weren't for the surprise attack from a stone foot slamming hard into his back. He let out a grunt when he felt the said foot force him onto the ground, locking him there with enough pressure to allow him to breathe but cannot move.

Jack cried out in pain as heat erupted throughout his body and probably through his blood stream, before going limp and fell back to earth. His staff slipped out of his hand and it met the ground with a clang as soon as he landed barely on all fours.

Flicker grinned in triumphant, even though it took a lot of his energy as a result. But in the end it was worth it. He staggered forward before willed himself back to his normal strength and sauntered in front of the fallen winter spirit. Jack was on his hands and knees, weakly trying to push himself up as the intense heatwave of fire danced through each of his limbs, and probably in his blood stream.

"Finally…now that wasn't so hard, was it?" he heard Flicker chimed.

He couldn't answer, let alone make a sound, all he could do was to gasp for breath while clawing weakly at his chest and throat to ease the pain but couldn't. Jack looked up at Flicker with hazy eyes as the latter leaned over him with that damnable smile, barely noticing the hand reaching towards him.

However, a golden whip was suddenly wrapped around Flicker's neck before he could even let his hand meet Jack's face. He choked out before catching a sight of the Sandman hovering above him in the air. Sandy glared threateningly at the flame spirit before pulling hard on his whip, sending Flicker flying backwards into the sky and slammed hard against the strong ground by the other side of the clearing. Sandy quickly dropped in front of Jack and quickly examined him with concern. The boy's body was shuddering and he was letting out short, hushed cries of pain while holding his chest.

Sandy reached out and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder to try comforting him, but pulled away as soon as his fingers met the covered shoulder. There was unusual high heat emanating underneath the blue fabric, he tested again by touching Jack's forehead to see he wasn't imagining things and met with horrible realization.

It was no wonder why he was in pain…his entire body had reached to a boiling temperature! Since he's a winter sprite, it might be torture for him. He would hate to see what would happen if here human…

"Sandy!"

The dream spirit turned when he heard Bunny call out his name. The Pooka was still pinned to the ground by three stone soldiers. He was trying to desperately to escape as he clawed at the ground in front of him, trying to pry himself out of their grasp.

"Damn it, get offa me!" Bunny yelled out in frustration.

He had witness Jack swallow the flower and had to hear the boy's faint cries of pain with his sharp pain. He wanted to be back at Jack's side…he needed to help him! He couldn't bear to see Jack more hurt than necessary.

Sandy glanced upwards to see the sleigh still circling above the clearing. He looked back down and his golden-brown eyes narrowed when he saw a few of the statue soldiers divert their attention to Bunny as they walk closer to Jack. Sandy took a protective stance in front of him as he conjured up twin whips from his dream sand.

"Don't let them get to Jack!" he heard Bunny call out to him from behind the soldiers. He didn't need to be told on what to do.

The giant stone statues were thankfully slow but what they lack in speed, they made it up in size and strength. Each time Sandy struck them with a whip, it barely fazed them. They simply teetered back slightly but continued closer with heavy footsteps that let out a thundering sound at each step. Sandy inched closer to Jack, looking around carefully for any kind of weakness as the enemies circled around them.

"OUT OF ZE WAY!"

Sandy heard North call out from above him and ducked out of instinct as the sleigh came dangerously close to the ground, effectively smashed into three of the soldiers and sending them flying back into the forest. The reindeer team flew back upwards and North glanced downwards to observe the damage to the sleigh.

_Ah, that's going to leave a dent. _The former thief grimaced.

He also noted that the paint job was ruined as well, but that was not important at the moment. North shifted the reigns while still keeping a hold on Jamie with his other arm. The poor teen was sleeping soundly now after Sandy had sprinkled some dream sand into his eyes.

Sandy smiled up at North for his help but he heard Bunny screaming out Jack's name. He whipped around to see a smirking Flicker holding up Jack's limp body by the collar of his sweater. Sandy's eyes widened and he instantly summoned more dream sand in defense.

How did Flicker snuck up on him so easily?

His gaze shifted rapidly from Flicker to Jack, not sure of what move he should make without hurting his friend any more than he was. He was barely healed from his injury back at the Warren. Jack gasped out in pain, weakly clawed at Flicker's burning hand in order to escape but wasn't able to due to the unbearable heat from the inside out. It felt like he had swallowed a furnace, spreading heat throughout his body. The flame spirit pulled him closer so that his lips were close to his ear, feeling the hot breath upon the lobe.

"It's getting a bit crowded," he heard him whisper. "Let's move to some place more private." Jack felt something hot and wet trailing up his cheek, making him shudder in revulsion.

_Mmm…oh, yes, Jack is deliciously warm now._ Flicker mentally purred with a smile.

Sandy glared at Flicker and shot out a whip towards his head, in an attempt to snap off the other spirit's tongue. However, Flicker's boy disappeared with a cloud of black smoke as soon as the golden whip made contact to him, surrounding the Sandman and obscuring his view. Sandy did a double take as he took in on what he just saw.

_Flicker could teleport now?!_

His golden brown eyes searched around his surroundings frantically as he conjured his dream sand shifted into a giant oriental fan to blow the spoke away.

I had to find Jack before…

Then he spotted Flicker opening up a glowing red-orange portal at the other side of the clearing and Sandy quickly shot out a stream of dream sand in that direction, pleading that it would slow the flaming man down. The golden sand never made it though, as more stone soldiers staggered with loud thumps between Sandy and Flicker. His sand dispersed when it hit the statue's hard body.

Bunny struggled helplessly underneath the remaining soldiers as he watched Flicker dragged Jack's body with him into the portal. "Jack!" He cried out, reaching a paw towards the boy's limp body. He barely healed up from his last ordeal with Flicker, who knows what would happen if they're alone.

_No…I won't let Flicker take him. I won't fail Jack a second time!_

Feeling rage fueled him as Bunny twisted in the stone soldier's grasp so that his back was against the ground. Then he brought his large feet above him and kicked upwards hard with all of his strength. The soldier didn't move up very far but it was far enough for Bunny to slip out and race towards on all fours towards the portal, just as Jack's feet disappeared inside of it. He let out a raging roar and powered on through, making it into the portal right before it closed off out of sight.

Sandy stared with wide eyes when he saw the portal disappear, taking both Jack and Bunny with it. He gritted his teeth and was about to take his contained anger out on the statues around him if it not for North beating him to it, ramming his sleigh into the large line of soldiers as it descended and skidded to a stop near the clearing's edge. Sandy hovered over into the back of the sleigh to check on Jamie and found him still asleep. Amazingly, there was not a single scratch on his body.

"Awww!" North let out a groan as he droop his arms dramatically when he saw that the portal was gone.

Once again, they were both too slow as Jack and Bunny threw themselves into yet another dangerous situation. Sandy looked down in sadness, feeling like he let his friends down. Imagine his surprise when he noticed something glimmering on a tree branch nearby. There perched upon a twig at the edge of the forest was Bunny's ice bird, staring at them with clear eyes as it ruffled its feathers.

When Sandy gestured towards it, the little creature flew over and fluttered about into the dream spirit's hands, chirping animatedly as if telling them that they know where they are. Or rather, where Jack was.

Luckily for Sandy, North knew what kind of words he was going to say.

"Ah-ha! We won't be late this time!" he bellowed triumphantly.

He couldn't agree more.


	9. Chapter 9: Burn Before My Touch

**A certain scene was edited out of the chapter due to its graphic nature and can only be viewed on AO3 site. **

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><p>Flicker Chapter 9: Burn Beneath My Touch<p>

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><p>The first thing that Jack was aware of when he regained consciousness was the unbelievable pain dancing throughout his entire body. It felt like he was literally on fire, from his nervous system to his blood stream. His entire head was swimming and he could feel pain pounding behind his eyes. When he forced his eyes open, there were no red flames in his vision, just a blur of black and grey.<p>

That was when his other senses began to register. He could hear heavy breathing, but otherwise the place was completely silent.

…Wherever this place was, that is.

There was something hard underneath him and he weakly grazed a hand over it. The texture felt smooth like granite but the coolness of the surface did nothing to help with the unbearable heat wave in his body. Jack moved his fingers while focusing very hard on the feeling. Despite the pain, he could feel every tiny crevice and crack going through the stone's surface. He shuddered hard before drawing his fingers away. His body suddenly felt every sensitive to touch all of the sudden.

Could it be because of that flower that he swallowed?

"Jack…"

He heard Bunny's voice gently call out his name, his heart swelling with relief that someone familiar is here with him.

"B-Bunny?" Jack noticed how hoarse and faint his own voice sounded. He squinted and let his eyes searched the area around him, trying to make sense of his blurry surroundings.

"Yeah, I'm right here, Mate." He noticed that there was a desolate tone in the Pooka's voice, including the fact that he was whispering. Jack reached a shaky hand out in front of him, trying to feel the familiar soft bluish grey fur of his best friend's body. Then everything finally came into focus.

It was some sort of circular stone cavern. The walls were decorated with strange orange etchings of the Sun and symbols forming some sort of language that was forgotten by time. The rocky surroundings created a dome around them with a gaping hole at the top, allowing sunlight to illuminate the surroundings. There were the same stone soldiers that he had seen from the clearing, but this time lined up against the wall in different positions other than praying. Luckily, none of them were mobile or glowing. Each one remained by the wall as…well, statues.

Nothing more…

Then Jack managed to spot Bunny.

The Pooka was standing a few feet away from where he was lying; his body appeared to be hunched over with his back pressed firmly against the stone wall behind him. Bunny's arms were pinned to the wall by two giant statues standing on each side of him.

What shocked Jack the most was the Pooka's face.

The closest thing that he could describe the way Bunny was staring down at him was sorrowful, almost as if he was about to cry. The other time that Jack had seen such a look was during the battle with Pitch, when Easter had been destroyed and the children had stopped believing in him.

"B…Bunny?" his voice was barely audible.

Bunny felt like his heart was being ripped asunder as he stared at the boy in front of him. Jack's body was lying limp on some sort of smooth platform table in the center of the cavern. He was taking in air with deep gasps while his body trembled uncontrollably. His blue eyes looked fades and his former moonlit skin was tinted pink. Jack was looking around and squinting like he was having a hard time seeing as drops of sweat trickled down his forehead.

Jack Frost was not supposed to sweat, he couldn't! He was a winter spirit, for MiM's sake!

The very sight of him looked terrible and intense pain was evident in his face. As much as Bunny wanted to scoop him up into his arms to shower him all the comfort that he needed, he couldn't due to the fact that he was pinned to the wall by these damned statues.

"Jack…listen to me, you have to get out of here." Bunny's tone was still soft but there was a sense of urgency in his tone but Jack's mind was having a hard time keeping up.

"Huh…what about you?" he tried to sit up but his body was stuck to the platform beneath him.

"I don't matter. You're the one that Flicker wants. You have to leave, hide….something!" Bunny's whispers became louder and more desperate at each word as he stared pleadingly at Jack.

Why wasn't he moving?

"But…I-I'm stuck…" Jack then strained his neck so that he could actually look down at himself, what he saw made his brow furrowed in confusion.

There was practically nothing holding him down to the platform. No straps…no iron bars…nothing.

His body was completely untouched.

_So why can't I move? _

He took a deep breath then pushed back against the platform with his arms while trying to lift his chest into a sitting position. Jack let out a cry when burning pain shot up his spine and he fell back down with a thud. He groaned when he felt the back of his head throb from making a rough contact with the stone beneath him.

Bunny had been watching him the whole time; he could see his green eyes were wide with worry.

"Jack…ya really can't move?"

His labored breathing answered his question, and that was enough.

Jack lazily turned his head to the side to stare at him. Green eyes looked back into hazy blue orbs and both of their faces held the same expression.

A mixture of panic and horror.

Bunny hated himself for getting captured so easily.

He had ran head first into the portal like a maniac but just as he made it through to the other side, something hard had slammed into the back of his head and knocked him out cold. When he woke up, he found himself being held against the wall by two of the lifeless statues that surrounded the cavern. He had tried to handle the situation calmly at first but when he noticed Jack's motionless body in front of him, Bunny started kicking away from the wall and flailing around for hours in an attempt to slip out of the statues' grasp and reach Jack until he eventually wore himself out.

Usually he was good at slipping out of situations like this, but these stone hands were gripping his arms down to the bone. And what is even worse was that the ground seemed to be possessed by some kind of magic that he wasn't familiar with because no matter how many times that Bunny stomped his feet would never open up for him. All he could do was hang from the wall in defeat as he waited for Jack to wake up.

Jack closed his eyes and lay limp against the stone. His energy was completely drained and the pain was making him tired, both physically and emotionally. After a moment, an odd thought occurred to him and he couldn't help but let out a single faint laugh.

In spite all of this pain, and the fact that he was trapped and helpless, Jack felt strangely at ease knowing that Bunny was at his side; even if the fact that said Pooka was stuck to the wall and couldn't help him.

But having his best friend near him made all the difference.

"I'm glad you're here, Bunny." Jack whispered, managing to smile.

Bunny sadly returned the smile, silently telling him the same.

Suddenly a deep chuckle echoed from above them, causing Bunny to look up in surprise, his ears were standing tall. Jack's breath hitched once he heard the familiar voice but wished he hadn't. There, up above them, was Flicker beaming down at his prisoners from the hole at the top of the done before dropping down into the center of the cavern with ease. Bunny glared hard at him, his ears were shot back and his head was lowered like a cornered beast ready to strike at any moment.

Flicker was twirling Jack's staff around in his right hand as he observed the Pooka, like he was having a merry day. He then placed the bottom of the staff onto the stone floor and leaned against it, all a while examining Bunny's face with an amused yet curious expression. He then straightened himself up, still wearing a wicked grin that Bunny wanted so desperately to wipe off of his face.

"Sorry that the place is so messy, I haven't had a chance to clean up." He chuckled at his joke as he looked around, seeing nothing but the large carving of the sun upon the bare floor.

Bunny said nothing, only letting out a low growl in the back of his throat.

This only made Flicker smirk wider before turning his attention to Jack, who squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to black out the heat that was slowly eating him from the inside out. The flame spirit leaned against the staff and sighed dreamily while peering down at Jack. There was only one thing to describe his little winter spirit.

Stunning…

His body was laid out for him upon the platform table, like an offering. Those pretty lips were already moist with sweat as Jack gasped out each breath.

_Beautiful…_he mentally purred, licking his lips before stepping closer to the platform.

Bunny's eyes widened with horror, feeling his blood ran cold when he realized that there was practically nothing separating Jack's weak and helpless body from Flicker as the latter stepped closer to him.

"Graah! Stay away from him, ya basket case bugger!"

Bunny had been growling and screaming out curses at Flicker, all the while struggling wildly against the statues' grip. He brought his feet up and kicked about at the stone statues, hoping that they would come alive and react so that he could distract them and slip away. Flicker only chuckled as he watched the so-called legendary Easter Bunny struggling against his currently deactivated warriors. All this time, he thought of him as some badass fighter who brings hope to little children around the world, among other things. Now, he was nothing more than just a trapped rabbit that was fighting to escape a predator in the wild.

He turned away to lean over and whisper oh-so lovingly into Jack's ear.

"I'm back, darling." He purred.

Jack groaned out in a mixture of pain and horror, the only thing he could do was to turn his face away.

"Hey, Flicker!" Bunny stated loudly.

Flicker straightened and looked up at him with a curious smile. What he didn't expect was the said Pooka spitting across the room, effectively shooting saliva into the flame spirit's eye. Flicker grimaced as a result, his skin made a soft sizzling sound while the liquid dripped down his cheek.

Then his smile fell and formed into a look that would fit the saying "looks can kill" as yellow eyes glared at the captured Pooka. Bunny felt relief from stealing the attention away from Jack, and a bit of a thrill that he managed to wipe that damned smirk off of the fire demon's face, so that was considered a bonus. Flicker turned away from Jack and walked a few feet in front of the Pooka while rubbing the offensive liquid out of his eye. Bunny paused in his struggling to glare back into the spirit's angry gaze.

"Nice aim," Flicker spoke, just before grabbing the end of Jack's staff and struck Bunny hard across the face.

Bunny's head was slammed back into the wall behind him, leaving him dazed for a moment. There was a sharp throbbing pain on the side of his skull but he ignored it. This was nothing compared to what Jack was going through right now. Flicker smiled with satisfaction with his work before returning to Jack's side. He reached out and slipped a flaming hand underneath Jack's sweater, gently stroking his chest and stomach. The movements made Jack's eyes fly open, making him cry out in pain as the flaming hand added the intense burning sensation throughout his body.

"Stop it!" Bunny yelled out, vainly pulling against his restrained.

Flicker looked his lips again as the flames upon his hand faded. He met Bunny's green eyes from the corner of his own while swirling a warm finger around Jack's chest.

"_You_ wish you could touch him like this."

It was a statement of fact rather than a question. Almost as if he was pointing out the truth…

Bunny's brow furrowed before shooting a nervous glance towards Jack. But he didn't seem like paying attention to Flicker's words.

"I don't." It somehow didn't sound convincing to Bunny's ears, but he said it nonetheless.

Flicker then threw his head back and laughed loudly before leaping forward, standing in front of Bunny once again, making sure that he had a good distance from the Pooka's long feet yet have a close enough range to stare into his eyes.

"Oh, you do. You _desire_ him," he smirked before he continued. "You want to run your furry paws all over his body, do unspeakable things…"

"Shut up!" Bunny shouted, cutting him off because it became unbearable to hear. Flicker laughed once again at the result.

"There's no point in denying it. I can see everyone's lusts and desires…no matter how hard they try and hide them…no matter how much they are ashamed." He chuckled as the Pooka stared back at him with a look of surprise and hatred. "But…here's a little advice, Mr. Easter Bunny…" He twirled Jack's staff once more before raising the hook end of it to circle around Bunny's neck to pull his head forward slightly.

"Forget those stupid feelings of yours…because they will never be returned."

His voice was dropped into a whisper, completely void of the playful cockiness and arrogance that he displayed earlier. The way the words sounded was serious and foreboding and they strike a chord within Bunny as they reached his ears. He blinked and glared down at the flame spirit before him in defiance.

Flicker frowned but then threw his head back into a fit of laughter, hunching over and grabbed his heaving sides with each bellow as they echo throughout the cavern room.

"Oh, really!? You think you have a better chance at being with Jack than _I_ do?"

The demonic man wiped the sizzling tears of laughter from his eyes before leaning over to stare into the Pooka's face. His smile was so wide it would split his face and gave him a rather manic expression.

"Look at you, you're an animal!"

Bunny's ears fell flat against the back of his head and his eyes were widened in shock. As much as he hated too admit it, that statement hurt…a lot. Not to mention it held some truth to it, while he wouldn't deny that he have some feelings for Jack, Bunny actually feared something more than just being disbelieved by children.

It was the possibility of Jack turning him down because of the differences in race.

He never doubted the kindness that the winter spirit possess, he made that obvious on how much he cared for Sophie, despite not being seen by her while she accidentally stumbled into his Warren. But that doesn't change the fact that even if Bunny would look for a mate (which is unlikely), there was no way that Jack would accept him. He was fine with the friendship they have…the last thing he wanted was heartbreak.

Flicker released Bunny's neck from the staff and leaned against it. "You have long and whiskers…you're entire body was covered in fur…" he listed off, not quite done with taunting him. "You're a rabbit!"

It really irked him at the fact that beings like him compared him to a common rodent, North and that ginger-haired time traveler for example. But he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to show that what Flicker had said was really getting under his skin. The flaming man looked at him before shaking his head, still wielding a smile of amusement and pity.

"And you think Jack will look at you like you're attractive?" He then barked out another round of laughter once more, his hollers that echoed off the walls seemed to get louder.

Bunny's brow furrowed before shifting his green eyes towards Jack. He had his eyes shut again as he tossed his head around, trying to fend off the sound of yelling that was mixing together and bouncing off of his aching skull. He couldn't make sense of the loud statements but he wished they would stop.

Soon, Flicker finally found the time to calm down and let out a deep sigh before tossing Jack's staff to the side, watching it clatter towards the edge of the cave.

"I suppose you're aren't the only one, Rabbit." he stated while scratching the back of his head as he made his way to the platform and made a seat for himself next to Jack on the platform. "That little boy I snatched up was lusting for Jack as well…what was his name again? Jared…Jake?"

Bunny ignored his rambling for the time being to focus on the fact that Flicker was only a few inches away from Jack's prone body.

He gritted his teeth as he racked his brain for a plan. _I can't let Flicker get the best of me…I need to find a way to help Jack, but how? I can't even…_

"However!" Flicker spoke very loudly in order to get his attention as well as place an emphasis.

Bunny's head was snapped up with a glare.

"People like you…or rather, animals like you, need to learn something." Flicker crossed his legs, causing them to bump into Jack while the latter shook weakly against the stone surface. Bunny's flicked his eyes from Jack's body and back to Flicker's golden gaze. He could feel his heart beating in a rapid speed against his chest as the demonic being moved even closer to Jack, who was too helpless to even move.

"Jack belongs to me." Flicker stated while pointing a thumb back at himself.

Then he grinned wickedly.

"And to prove it, I'm going to claim him right now…and you're going to watch."

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><p>"Hyah!" North yelled out as he snapped the reigns, causing his reindeer to fly faster.<p>

The former bandit king was holding the frozen bird in his other hand, looking back at the small creature for guidance every time they pass over another mountain. If they veered off course, the bird would flutter its wings wildly until North changed direction. But as of right now, they seemed to be headed in the right path as they flew higher above the trial of mountains. The little bird worked just as good as a compass! It even helped when Jack is their homing beacon.

Meanwhile, Sandy was sitting at the back of the sleigh, gently stroking Jamie's hair while he slept with his head upon the sandman's lap. A small golden version of Jack was swirling above his head. He knew that it was Jamie's favorite thing to dream about, it was understandable since he is Jack's first believer.

As he watched his creation fly around, he couldn't help but feel worry for his friend. Jack was undoubtedly strong, but he is probably the gentlest soul that he had ever come across in all of his centuries. Sandy had witnessed the winter spirit's empathy on more than one occasion. For example, he witnessed Jack standing by to comfort Cupcake when she had her heart broken for the first time, despite the fact that she could no longer see him after junior high.

It wasn't fair that Jack had to suffer like this, to be injured and harassed by demons that fell from the sun. He was such a kind being…how could anyone even think about hurting him after seeing him smile or the way he played with children in the snow?

How could someone like Flicker be such a monster?

Sandy suddenly jumped in surprise when he saw something bluish green shoot past the sleigh. North noticed it as well, pulling back in the reigns in order to slow them down in midair.

"Whoa!" he called out to his reindeer as they bucked in protest.

Sandy turned his head and looked back as Tooth quickly zipped back to catch up with them before gently fluttering down into the sleigh.

"There you guys are! I went back to the Warren and everyone was…" then she stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed that there was someone with them in the sleigh, her purple eyes widened with shock. "I-is that Jamie?!"

Tooth flew forward and peered down at the sleeping face that rested upon Sandy's lap.

"What is he doing here?" she asked while setting a gentle hand upon the human teenager's arm. While he had a dosage of Sandy's dreamsand, there were signs of distress upon his face. Just what happened while she was gone?

"Tooth, glad you could make it!" She heard North bellowed, resuming the pace on their path. "We need favor!"

Tooth looked around them in confusion. Something was wrong…

"What's going on? Where are Jack and Bunny?" she questioned them, her feathers ruffled with concern. They made her a bit poofy, poofier than the time when her fairies were kidnapped.

"No time for explanation!" North yelled back, pulling up hard on the reigns in order to avoid the peak of a mountain. "Take the boy back to the Workshop and guard him like you guard teeth!"

"Wait a second, you haven't told me what's going on!" Tooth looked pleadingly down at Sandy, who was trying to explain everything with rapidly changing images over his head as he animatedly moved his hands.

"Take the boy, Toothiana!" It was an order, not a suggestion. And also, the only time when North showed that he was serious was when he used Tooth's full name. The fairy queen let out a sigh before carefully lifting Jamie's sleeping form into her arms. Sandy helped lift him up until he was cradled comfortably against Tooth, who seemed to be struggling a bit.

_Geez, he was getting heavy!_ Was the first thing that she noticed before looking up at North.

"Alright, but promise me that Jack and Bunny will be safe."

North looked back at her and gave her a thumb-up.

"It's a deal!"

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><p><em>NO!<em> Bunny mentally screamed out, his eyes widening in panic.

He couldn't let this happen, not while he is here and can do something to stop it. Bunny growled loudly through the cloth and brought his large feet up behind him to push against the wall with all his might. A muffled cry of effort escaped him as he tugged against the stone hands, trying desperately to break away from them. But suddenly…he heard something.

_Thud._

Bunny's sensitive ears perked up at the noise and looked around. The sound seemed to have vibrated throughout the entire cavern; the only sign of disturbance is the dust from the ceiling. But he wasn't the only one who noticed. Flicker was startled and his first reaction was to look up and out of the hole in the ceiling. He narrowed his golden eyes in suspicion before leaping off of Jack to stand right beneath it, much to the other spirit's relief.

Flicker scratched the back of his head while gazing into the sky above them, searching for the source of the sound.

"Huh…must have been…" But he was cut off as soon as a battle cry echoed throughout the cavern and Bunny shrunk back against the wall in surprise. He recognized that sound from anywhere…

And lo and behold came North's large body literally fell out of the sky and down through the whole with his swords pointed downwards. Flicker was caught completely off-guard at this, letting out a surprised yell as he had the Russian landed on top of him, feeling his weight pinning him to the ground as large boots practically crushed his stomach. A blade sliced down into the granite next to Flicker's head, nearly missing his face. Flicker could only manage to blink as he stared at his own reflection upon the blade before staring up at fierce, angry blue eyes.

He knew that the Guardian of Wonder was daring him to move, if he wanted to slice his head off. Hmm…let's recap what happened so far…he was minding his own business, messing with the Rabbit's head, about to give Jack something nice, and practically cockblocked by a 50 pound Russian man who wasn't afraid to run a blade through him.

What an interesting turn of events…

"Sandy!" North called out, still keeping his gaze upon Flicker. He had to make sure that this…demon, wouldn't get any ideas, he wasn't a former leader of the Cossack bandits for nothing.

Sandy appeared a second later, lightly hovered through the hole before making his descend down the cavern to create a huge wall of golden sand to separate Flicker and North from Jack and Bunny.

"Mmmndee!" Bunny muffled to Sandy, feeling overwhelmed with relief and joy. He'd never thought he would be so happy to see North in his entire life. When this is all over, he swore he would never complain about the cold if he swung over to his workshop again.

Sandy smiled at him momentarily before hovering over to Jack, looking him over with wary eyes. He was partially naked, his staff and sweater lay abandoned upon the concrete floor, and that was not all, he seemed in worse shape than before. Jack gazed back into the sandman's golden face and smiled weakly before allowing his head to fall back against the stone with his eyes closed, exhausted from all the pain and the heat. Sandy instantly conjured up a few golden fans to blow air onto Jack's body in an attempt to cool him off for the time being. He then hover over to Bunny and examined the statues that were holding him. They were the same as the ones that he fought against, only this time they seemed to be deactivated. Now the question was how to remove Bunny from them?

Bunny could hear angry snarls of Flicker and furious battle cries from North and the two battled out from the other side of the golden sand wall. The constant echo of metal blades clanging against stone made the Pooka's heart beat faster. While he knew that North is a capable fighter and mage, there was no way that he could beat them on his own, much less taking Flicker on.

Meanwhile Sandy's brow furrowed as he analyze the situation before summoning a golden whip in his hand and struck it carefully against the stone that was consuming Bunny's right arm. The sand simply dispersed as it met the stone, making the dream spirit frown at this while scratching the back of his head in thought.

This is a conundrum…

Bunny felt some sand untie the cloth from around his head and he spat it out before taking a few deep breaths as he looked up to his comrade.

"Sandy! Forget about me! Just get Jack out of here before…"

Suddenly the statues surrounding the cavern began glowing bright red. Sandy spun around in shock, observing them with wide eyes. As the statues on either side of Bunny shifted, their hands became loose enough for him to slip out. He wasted no time of darting past Sandy and made a direct beeline to the platform where Jack lay motionless, standing over his body protectively while he reached for his boomerangs.

The statues slowly stepped towards the three guardians, their heavy footsteps echoing throughout the cavern. Sandy hovered close to Bunny as he summoned a second whip in his other hand, giving the Pooka a worried glance as the warriors drew even closer. They are now back to back, trapped as the enemy surrounded them.

One of the large stone figures reached a hand out towards Jack, causing Bunny to lean over him and growled threateningly at the statue. Sandy gripped his whips and took a defense stance on the edge of the platform while scanning their enemies, both he and Bunny are ready to take them all on if they had to. They are not taking Jack away from them again.

Then there was a twinkling sound of glass breaking somewhere in the cavern, which they both recognized as a snow globe. Sandy's golden wall suddenly exploded, sending dream sand flying everywhere as three yetis ran through and began throwing large buckets of water at everything in their path. Bunny flinched as he felt his fur becoming drenched while Sandy quickly dodged the water. That was when he noticed that all of the statures halted when they were soaked, causing the glowing red light to fade away from the center of their chests.

Sandy observed them curiously before creating a giant hand out of dream sand. He maneuvered his creation to poke one of the warrior statues, only to see the said statue to collapse onto the ground, suffering cracks that were deep enough for it to break into a few pieces. Bunny grinned when he watched all of the others soon repeat the same action, each one crumbling to the ground and causing the stone floor to vibrate harshly beneath his feet. The yetis hobbled over the broken remains of the soldiers and waved their empty bucks around proudly as they warbled out in victory, just in time when Sandy floated over to join North on the other side of his dispersing sand wall.

Flicker had his back against the stone wall of the cave, hunched over as the flames on his shoulders were sputtering weakly due to exhaustion. The fat man was rather spritely for his age, the fire spirit was surprised that he somehow managed to keep his head attached to his shoulders. His gaze quickly shifted back and forth between every guardian that was slowly assembling in the crevice, causing him to grit his teeth into an angry snarl. Don't tell him that they somehow beaten his boys…

"Give it up!" North commanded with a smug grin as he held one of his swords just a few inches from the sun demon's nose. "You are no match for us!"

Sandy nodded in agreement and glared at Flicker threateningly as he placed himself in an archer's stance, causing a volley of dream sand arrows appear behind him, eager to turn his body into a pin cushion. The three yetis, including Phil, walked slowly towards Flicker while pounding their large fists into their hands.

Flicker's gaze dashed around them again until it landed on the motionless body of Jack on the other side of the cave. What was worse was the fact that damned rabbit stood over the winter sprite protectively, his green eyes glaring back into his golden ones with determination, daring him to make a move. Flicker blew smoke out of his nose in a frustrated snort before transforming his body into a cloud of smoke, racing past North and the others as he escaped out to the hole in the ceiling.

North attempted to stop the fire demon by slicing the smoke, but the cloudy air flew around his weapon with ease.

"I'll be seeing you again soon, Jack!" Flicker's voice called out angrily before the demon's presence seemed to disappear entirely from the crevice.

North glared upwards at where the demon disappeared as he slowly lowered his swords. The yetis all looked around in confusion while Sandy quickly hovered back over to check on Jack. Bunny sighed in relief but that feeling doesn't last when it was replaced with panic as his foot rubbed against Jack's bare side, feeling searing heat that was emitting from the boy's skin. He was breathing rather heavily now, completely unconscious.

Bunny hopped down from the platform and gently wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders, propping him up slightly.

"Jack…hey, can ya hear me?" He cooed softly.

Jack's eyes fluttered a bit but groaned in pain and his head fell back against the Pooka's arm weakly. His body was still shaking, whether it was from pain or from the heat, and his breath was now coming in sharp gasps.

"It's alright, mate, we're gonna get ya fixed up," he whispered to him soothingly. "Flicker is long gone, and he won't lay a hand on ya ever again."

Bunny was going to make sure that Flicker never laid a hand on Jack…even if it would mean tearing it out of its socket. Sandy floated up next to them, holding both Jack's sweater and staff in his small hands. He looked at Jack then back to Bunny, his honey-brown eyes were filled with panic and concern. At times like this, even with his sand to communicate, he didn't need to use words.

"Bunny, are you and Jack alright?" North asked as he stepped over the broken statues to get to his friends while the yetis follow.

"_I'm_ fine…North, we need to get Jack out of here." There was a sense of urgency in Bunny's voice as he looked over to him, still holding on to Jack. "We need to get him cooled down right now!"

North took note of the spiraling twist of emotions that arose in the Pooka's eyes. It was a mixture of relief, exhaustion, anger, and…horror?

_What had happened while they were trapped here with Flicker?_ He wondered. The Russian man examined Jack's withering body carefully. He was still drooping limply in Bunny's arms; his eyes were squeezed shut tightly in pain as he turned his head to the side, burying his face in Bunny's chest fur.

"Da…" came an immediate reply with a nod. He gestured to the yetis and Phil walked up to hand North a snow globe that he got stashed in a messenger bag.

"North Pole!" North spoke into the globe before chucking it at the ground. A colorful twister appeared and swirled around the newly made portal leading to the Work Shop. Bunny pulled Jack's body close to his own and slid his other arm beneath his legs to lift him up in bridal style.

"Don't worry, mate, I've got ya." He whispered his promise to him, cradling Jack in his arms as they journeyed back to North's home.


	10. Chapter 10: First and Last Kiss

Happy Belated Holidays and Merry Christmas to all

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><p>Flicker Chapter 10: First and Last Kiss<p>

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><p>North stared out the window as he stroked his beard in thought.<p>

The heavy snow storms outside set his mind at ease. There were no signs of red flames or anything that would announce Flicker's presence, just the constant fluttering snowflakes across the winter plain of the North Pole as the wind howled throughout the air. A sigh escaped from his lips and turned back towards his workshop.

For once, the building was orderly and almost uniformed. Rather than creating and test driving the toys, the yetis were busy strengthening the workshop's defenses, even bringing out some weaponry from his days as a young man, there are some who are brushing up on their own martial arts or mediating. All this for preparation in case Flicker tried to break in and take Jack.

Even the elves were acting on their best behavior, as they have been ever since they witnessed just how injured Jack was. It was no secret that they cared about Jack, long before he became guardian. North was surprised that the elves, along with the yetis, have known him since his countless attempted break-ins in the past, which explains their nonchalant attitude when one of their own was frozen and simply placed the said frozen elf by the fire to thaw him out.

Phil walked up towards North and cleared his throat to announce his presence. The Russian man smiled and walked over to his one of his oldest friends on the furry shoulder.

"Are all the entrances secured?" North asked, there was a hint of authoritative tone in his voice. "Even the secret passageways?"

"Harbla." The chief yeti replied before sticking his thumbs up reassuringly.

This made the former bandit let out a breath that he never knew that he was holding. "Good then…we can relax for now."

North then ventured upwards towards the Globe Room, all while looking around to make sure that everything was under control. However, when he reached the main room, he paused and peek his head past the corner curiously. There in the very center of the room was a large tin tub filled with to the brim in ice and snow, with a certain occupant inside it.

That is if one could pick him out.

Jack's body was almost unnoticeable from this distance, buried beneath the snow with the back of his head resting against the tub's edge. Without his blue eyes or the sweater that he constantly wore, he blended in the snow mixture perfectly. It was hard to make out the thin line that separated the snow from his white locks of hair.

Bunny was seated on the floor at the other side of the tub. He had his arms resting on the edge as he gazed into Jack's unconscious face intently. The same hurricane of spiraling emotions was still alive in his green eyes, making north wonder what the last Pooka could possibly be thinking about. He took note of Sandy's presence in the room as well. The little golden man was sitting at the other end of the room in front of the fireplace in an attempt to give Bunny a moment of privacy. However, he could see that the sandman's face peer back at Jack's tub ever so often in concern.

Bunny leaned his head onto his arms as he stared into Jack's peaceful face.

There had been a snow filled tub made ready for them by the yetis as soon as they had passed through the portal with Jack's unconscious body. Bunny hadn't even hesitated when he practically ripped the younger guardian's pants off and dumped him into the snow and ice-filled tub so that Jack's skin would cool off as quickly as possible. As he thought about it now though, Bunny couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Jack was practically going commando. He had been too preoccupied with placing him into the tub to actually look at Jack's body when he was stripping him. But the fact that his pants were the only article of clothing that he had to take off caused his cheeks to heat up considerably.

Bunny's gaze shifted to where the winter sprite's clothing was folded neatly next to his staff by the tub before looking back at Jack's face. The snow was up to his shoulders and he couldn't help but notice how angelic he looked. His skin was back to its moonlit shade and his breathing was slow and calm. There were no signs of pain as he slept peacefully in his little ice bath. The images of Flicker's hands running over Jack's body were still fresh in his mind, making him to shake his head to try and forget it but to no avail.

_Flicker won't lay a hand on Jack ever again…and I'll make sure of it. _

He wanted nothing more than to kick that fire demon's face in, maybe throw him in a lake…see how _he_ likes being out of his element. An image of Flicker's body crumbling away into ashes at the bottom of the sea made the Pooka grin with satisfaction.

"Hn…"

Bunny looked up at the gentle sound as Jack turned his head in his sleep. He snuggled deeper into the ice beneath him and let out a sigh of content. Bunny lifted his arms away from the tub as it froze over as vines of frost danced along its surface. He laughed inwardly as he realized Jack was freezing things in his sleep. His green eyes glided along the boy's collarbone and trailed up an arched neck before settling on Jack's fragile face.

_Why are you so beautiful…?_

But deep down, he knew the answer…he was just too stubborn to admit it.

Then he noticed Jack twitched in his sleep before mumbling something, turning his head back to its original position. This made Bunny laugh lightly in amusement. "Hey, mate, are ya wakin' up?" he whispered gently to him.

Jack's eyes fluttered a bit before opening to slowly reveal half-lidded blue orbs staring back to his green ones. He turned his head around lazily, taking in his surroundings in a sleepy manner. Then something clicked inside of the boy's head and his eyes shot wide open. Jack sat straight up in the tub of ice and a familiar bright smile appeared on his face when he saw his best friend right in front of him.

"Bunny!" He practically pushed through the ice surrounding him before wrapping his cold arms around the Pooka's neck in a death grip. Bunny went stiff in surprise for a moment but returned the hug with a smile as he relished the soothing cool temperature against his fur. His heart continued to beat rapidly when Jack pulled away and looked around the room.

"We're back at the North Pole?" he asked. Then Jack spotted Sandy floating up towards him from the other end of the room and grinned widely.

"Sandy!" he greeted enthusiastically as the dream spirit descended in front of the tub. Sandy smiled up at him before the sand formed into a shape of a small flame along with a question mark above his head.

"Am I…burning?" Jack half-translated but trailed off to place a hand on his chest, as if to test his body temperature. He narrowed his eyes when he felt something vaguely warm inside of him, not seething hot like before but still uncomfortable. Then he began scooping up handfuls of snow and shoved them down his own throat to cool off the remains of the heat that still lingered within his body.

Bunny chuckled as he watched him with amusement. "Easy, mate, yer gonna choke yerself."

But Jack ignored him, settled on continuing on swallowing snow until he confirmed that the heat was extinguished before scooping some away from his shoulders and getting an eyeful of own bare chest.

"Where's my…" He searched the room for his sweater, only to find it folded up neatly next to the tub he was in…along with his own pants. His eyes went wide and his cheeks blushed a deep violet before bringing his arms up to cover his chest. "A-am I naked!?" He practically shrieked in disbelief as he gazed down at himself.

This caused Bunny to laugh and Sandy joined in with silent chuckles of his own.

"Sorry, mate, we had to get ya cooled down pronto." Although, he had to admit…the look on Jack's face was comedy gold.

Jack let out a huff and leaned over the side of the tub to try and reach for his pants, all the while giving Bunny a good view of everything above his hips. It took all of Bunny's willpower not to ogle and stare. Although he had to admit, he always thought that he was scrawny underneath those clothes but now he realized that he was slightly slim…and curvy…NO.

Jack let out a grumble of irritation when he realized that his hand came up short, leaning back in his tub as he analyze the situation. Only one thing to do…

"Wind, get me my pants!"

On his command, a familiar gentle cool breeze blew in softly within the room, probably through the cracks of one of the secured windows, and lifted his pants into the air before hovering it in front of him. Before Jack had the chance to grab them, a dream sand bird suddenly snatched them in its beak and flew off with them.

"S-Sandy! Give them back!" he yelled at the oldest guardian as he chuckled silently from the side of the tub while guiding the bird to fly about the room, waving his hands like a conductor at an orchestra. Bunny was on the ground in a fit of laughter at this point, but Jack looked very distressed as he watched his only pair of pants being dragged across the air. He wasn't going to fly up and grab them though, not while Bunny and Sandy were watching. There was no way that he was going to fly around in his birthday suit.

He then spotted his ice bird perched upon the mantle of the fireplace and grinned when an idea struck him. He flicked his wrist and soon enough, the bird was instantly in the air. He flew by its sandy counterpart and grabbed one of the legs of his pants, trying to tug it away despite its smaller size. Unfortunately, Sandy's face lit up with excitement at the challenge and morphed his sand bird into a shark before it chomped down the brown garment and "swam" away with it. Little Jack let out an angry chirp before flying close behind it, fully intended to retrieve back the most important object back to his master, besides the staff that is. He managed to catch up with the sand shark and tugged whatever little fabric it was stuck out of the jaws which the latter playfully tug back lightly.

"What's all the commotion?" North's voice bellowed out as he entered the room.

Both of the creatures were startled by the large Russian man's entrance and quickly dropped the pants they were fighting for, causing the garment to fall down through the air and flop onto North's bald head in a comical manner. Sandy and Bunny were on the floor now, clutching their sides in a fit of laughter (well, Bunny, at least, Sandy was letting out movements that showed laughing) while Jack shrunk back in the ice tub in complete embarrassment, his cheeks were adorning an interesting shade of violet. North then pulled the pants off of his head to examine them before letting out a boisterous laugh of his own.

"I'm glad to see you doing well, Jack," he spoke up, wiping away a tear as he chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

Jack gave the older man a sheepish smile and reached out towards his pants a bit, indicating for North to hand it over to him. "I'm fine, North, could I have my…"

"Excellent!" North cuts him off, not noticing Jack's body language. "We were all getting worried, not knowing the real effects of that flower and whatnot."

Hearing the keyword "flower" made Jack recoil in response and his face fell as he remembered what had occurred while he and Bunny were trapped in Flicker's crevice. He hadn't been in a lucid state of mind at the time, but he could still recall hearing North's fight with Flicker, and the words that the fire demon had called out before he disappeared.

"_I'll be seeing you again soon, Jack!"_

Jack couldn't help but shudder at the promise that he made, making him sink a bit deeper into his snow bath. Bunny soon stopped laughing and straightened himself when he saw the look on Jack's face. Sandy took notice at the silence as well and fluttered back onto his feet. Both of them didn't know what to do or what to say to distract Jack from remembering that whole ordeal, how can you tell someone who was kidnapped by an insane demon that it was alright but it wasn't? That is until Jack's eyes suddenly widened and darted his gaze around his friends as he sat a straighter from his bath.

"Where's Jamie?"

Bunny's long ears perked up at this. Now that he thought about it, he had completely forgotten about Jack's first believer when he dove into the portal to Flicker's cave. He didn't know the answer to that question either, so he turned to North for an answer as the Russian chuckled softly before walking over towards the tub to (finally) return Jack's pants.

"No need for worry, he is safe," he reassured him as he handed Jack his pants. "He is back home with Tooth watching over him."

Jack nodded and looked down at the ice surrounding him while fiddling the leather straps of his pants.

"I…I want to go see him." He spoke up softly, while glancing towards Bunny, almost as though he was asking for his permission. Jack knew how much he made the Pooka worried sick by practically pulled off the Leeroy Jenkins to face Flicker on his own to save Jamie. And for that, he felt guilty, the last thing he wanted was to cause the older guardian any more stress than he already has. Sandy and North both looked at each other with uncertainty, debating on whether or not that it was a good idea since it was now twice that their youngest member barely survived the ordeal. Bunny leaned forward upon the tub and allowed his arms to resume their post upon the edge, not at all bothered by the cold.

"Are ya sure yer feelin' up to it, mate?" he asked, while his green eyes examined the winter spirit's body. While it was mostly healed, he wasn't sure that he should be moving about sometime soon.

"Sure I am!" Jack replied with a bright smile, attempting to shove his pants down into the snow so that he could place them on without anyone seeing. "I feel fine, fit as a fiddle." He spoke the last part in a sing-song tone while flexing his thin arms, imitating North a bit to show his "gun show".

Bunny chuckled at his antics. "Well, in that case, I'll go with you. We'll take the scenic route in the tunnels."

North stepped closer and was about to protest at the decision but Bunny put a paw up to silence him.

"He'll probably be looking for Jack here." He whispered to him in a low tone while Jack was busy tugging his clothes back on, which is a bit difficult since it was ice and snow that he was dealing with. "And if somethin' goes wrong…" he gestured over to Little Jack that returned his spot upon the mantle. North followed his gaze and nodded in understanding. Sometimes he has forgotten that out of all of them, Bunny has the most logic and experience. Next to Sandy of course…

"We're gonna go see Jamie and Tooth, _then_ we'll be right back." They heard Jack make his statement as he jumped out of the tub before buckling his belt and tugged his trademark blue sweater over his head. North nodded with a smile, but still eyeing Jack with caution.

"Alright, we shall await your return," then his tone and expression became serious as he pointed a large finger at him. "Be careful, Jackson, and don't go flying off into the sky!'

Jack gave him a reassuring smile. "I won't."

Then he shifted his gaze towards Bunny.

"I promise."

* * *

><p>Bunny ran on fur legs through the terrain of one of his tunnels as he tried to keep up with Jack, who was flying at a rather quick pace with his staff in hand. He could see the eagerness written all over Jack's face to check up Jamie, wanting nothing more than to make sure that he was okay.<p>

"Am I going too fast for ya, Kangaroo?" Jack looked behind him playfully.

This made Bunny smirk at him. "Ha, too fast? I thought you were flying slowly because of yer injuries, Mate. I've been stayin' behind in case you collapse."

It was a light jest as Jack scowled at him but laughed nonetheless as the Pooka raced past him to prove his point. Accepting it as a challenge, he flicked his staff behind him and bolted forward on a gust of wind to try and catch up with his friend. Bunny looked back to see him rocketing after him and let out a chuckle, unable to forget the familiar sped up thumping of his heart whenever he saw that bright smile on his face.

Before they went through the tunnels as Jack prepped himself by shaking some excess snow out of his clothing, Bunny had pressured North to let only himself and Jack go because he wanted some alone time with him…that doesn't involve him being pinned to a wall while watching his best friend being molested. He didn't notice his pace was slowing down as he looked back on that day, deciding to wait for Jack to catch up with him.

"Getting tired already?" The younger guardian teased as he swooped by him and landed on his feet. However his smile quickly fell when he noticed how solemn Bunny looked as he gazed back at him.

"Are you really…ok?" It was a hesitant question, Bunny's voice was soft but Jack was able to pick it up.

Jack smiled at him and nodded, patting himself on the chest for a slight emphasis. "Yeah, that ice fixed me up good. It must have made the flower's effects wear off."

Bunny's face darkened as memories of previous events washed over him, clenching his paws tightly. "I wasn't talking about the flower…" he trailed off as he unclench and re-clench his paws a few times, as if trying to ease his temper by doing that.

"Oh…" was all Jack could say. He knew what the Pooka was referring to, he unconsciously brought his own arms up to wrap around himself as he thought back of how that demon ran his hands all over his body and fought back a shudder.

"It's ok…" he finally spoke up after a moment of silence. "I'm ok. He didn't get too far…I could barely even make out the feel of his hands compared to the burning pain everywhere." It was actually half-true, but in a way, he was rather thankful that he had to focus on the searing heat the entire time.

Bunny looked into his eyes in sadness and took a step closer to him.

"I'm sorry." He stated.

Jack gave him a confused look and let out a half-hearted laugh. "What are you sorry for? It's not _your_ fault, Bunny."

"I know…" Bunny scratched behind one of his ears in a self-conscious manner as he looked at the ground in shame. "But I was right there…I couldn't do anything."

But Jack smiled at him nonetheless and leaned down so that he could peer back up into the Pooka's face. "That's ok. I'm glad you were there, even though…" Then he trailed off from there but neither of them felt the need to speak any further as a moment of silence washed over them. They both continued stand in place stiffly until Bunny couldn't take it anymore and reached out to tug on the front of Jack's sweater. This caused the latter to stumble forward against his chest with a startled yelp.

He felt Bunny's arms wrapped around him comfortingly and Jack couldn't help but allow himself to snuggle into the soft fur in front of him with a deep sigh. He knew that Bunny wasn't the type to give affection so easily, but as sudden as his behavior was, it was really touching to know that he cares.

_He did need a hug right now…_

That was the first thing that ran through Bunny's mind, inhaling Jack's fresh scent as he encased him tightly in his arms. His nose twitched in delight at the smell and his whiskers tickled the winter sprite's neck, causing him to giggle as a result. Then it happened again, that rapid beating feeling inside of his chest, only difference is that it somehow sped up to three times the speed to the point that he was worried it would burst out of his ribcage.

"Ah, well…" Bunny spoke a bit nervously before gently pulled away from him to place a firm hand on his shoulder. "We should go see Jamie and Tooth."

Jack nodded in understanding, although feeling a bit disappointed that the embrace had ended quickly just as it had started. But as the humans always say, savor what you have.

"Race ya there!" he stated cheekily before leaping up and darted off into the tunnel.

Bunny chuckled at the impish behavior as he followed suit and began racing through the burrowed dirt to catch up.

Tooth fluttered around the top of Jamie's roof, speaking quickly to each one of her fairies as they darted through the forest and sky to approach her, ready for their new orders since their mother was holding a brief base of operation at the moment. She sent them off before glancing downwards to see Baby Tooth still observing Jamie's sleeping form through the window. There had been quite a commotion when she fluttered into the house with the boy in tow. She had him settled into his bed before purposely tipped his bedside clock over to that it would create a noise to alert his family.

She had watched from the window as every member of the Bennett family came up to his room and embraced him with relieved faces. They had woken him up and started questioning him immediately, although there wasn't much that Jamie could say about his disappearance. After all, who can believe him if he told them that he was literally spirited away?

The only thing he could do was look around the room in confusion as his mother squeezed the daylights out of him with constant hugs and kisses while his father allowed himself to cry.

Sophie had noticed Tooth in the window and gave the fairy queen an appreciative smile. She returned the smile and waved at the little blonde girl, who was growing up fast the last time she saw her. She was taller now, and had cut her hair short but still maintained the same hairstyle as she had first seen her long ago. There were only two more baby teeth for her to loose, and Tooth would cherish those nights when they eventually come.

But she still had a job to do, so she asked Baby Tooth to keep a close eye on Jamie while she directed the rest of her fairies and waited for North to send back some form of message to her. Tooth was busy giving information to one of the fairies about the teeth in India before something near the ground caught her attention. She zipped forward and perched upon the chimney before observing down carefully as several of her fairies were swarming around a hole that appeared in Jamie's yard in curiosity.

Then two familiar gray ears popped out twitched around a bit before Bunny leaped out of the hole, looking around as Jack appeared right after him. Tooth's violet eyes widened and she barely contained her squeal of excitement before racing downwards to tackle Jack with a hug, knocking him off of his feet.

"Jack! Oh, I'm so glad you're alright! How are you feeling? Are you hurt? What happened?!" the way she spoke was in rapid fire speed.

"I'm good…" Jack mustered out but Tooth squeezed the breath out of him. Bunny chuckled at the sight before the fairy queen finally released Jack and hugged him around the shoulders, more gently, and released him to examine them carefully for any form of injury, thankfully she found none. But that fact wasn't enough to ease her worries one bit.

"What happened? Why was Jamie with North? And where were…"

"Easy, tooth, don't lose a feather." Bunny interrupted her when he noticed that Tooth's feathers were ruffling up to the point that it made her almost fluffy. "I'll explain everything while Jack checks up on Jamie."

That is when Tooth turned around to see Jack already floating up to Jamie's window. She had so many questions to ask but realized that some certain things had to come first. She let out a sigh before following Bunny to the roof to give their fellow guardian some privacy.

Jack smiled in greeting at Baby Tooth as the tiny fairy chirped happily and flew around his head. Then his eyes fell on Jamie, finding him wrapped up in his covers and sleeping soundly in his bed. Jack opened the window with ease before slipping inside and floated over the bed, looking down at the boy's sleeping face in fondness before settling down next to him, placing his staff to lean against the bedframe. Jack stroked the brown hair out of Jamie's eyes, watching as he shifted in his sleep from the cold temperature of his hand. Brown eyes blinked open before going wide when he saw Jack's smiling face came into focus.

"Jack!" he cried out, through his voice was a bit groggy. He jumped up from his bed and wrapped his arms around the winter spirit, hugging him tightly. Jack chuckled as he squeezed him back, relieved that his favorite believer was alright.

"Y-you're ok!" Jamie muffled a sob into the winter sprite's sweater.

"Of course, I am. I told you I would be." Jack replied softly.

After a moment of embracing, Jamie pulled away and tried his best to hold back his sobs. The last thing that he wanted Jack to see was him crying like a baby. What surprised him was that Jack brought a hand up to gently brush a tear out of his eye. He swallowed a lump in his throat, gathering his bearings before mustering up the courage to speak.

"Was…was that Pitch?"

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion when Jack asked that question. Could it be…?

"No…you couldn't see him?" he questioned in curiosity.

Jamie shook his head and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "All I could see was fire…but that was it," he murmured.

Jack nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that not only Flicker was invisible to children, but to the very few who still believed in them in teen to adult years.

"Well, it wasn't Pitch. It was a different guy, but don't worry." Jack reassured him before smiling. "North beat the crap out of him for taking you." To make his point, he playfully punched a hand into his fist, making Jamie laugh a bit. Then Jack's face softened as he smiled at him. "But really, you don't have to worry…he's gone for good."

Jamie sniffed a bit before running his eyes along Jack's body in confusion. "But…you ate that thing…" he whispered. Before he was placed to sleep by Sandy, the last thing he saw was the flower forcing itself down Jack's throat and the sight of him in pain. Then next thing he knew, he was at home, with his family relieved to see him, and finding out that he had been gone for at least two days. He had been getting texts and voice messages from his childhood friends, feeling somewhat relieved that they still remember him and each other.

However it was Jack that he was worried about. Considering that he is associated with winter, who knows what kind of effects that flower had.

The white-haired guardian smiled at him in reassurance. "Turns out that it was just a gross tasting flower, it didn't do a thing." He hated lying to Jamie, but the last thing he wanted was to make him worry more, especially since it was all over now. It wasn't fair for him to be involved all of this…

"S-so…you're ok?" Jamie asked as he tried to keep his voice calmed but it came out somewhat cracked. Jack nodded but the latter's eyes continued to water and his body racked with sobs. Without a word, Jack pulled him into another hug and petted his hair soothingly as Jamie tried to speak further.

"I-I thought you were gonna…I th-thought I was never g-gonna get to tell you…" Jamie muffled into Jack's ear.

"Tell me what, Jamie?" he asked, even though he was pretty sure that he already knew the answer while rubbing slow and soothing circles upon Jamie's back to try and calm him down.

"Th-that…that I love you!"

* * *

><p>"So that's what the flowers do…" Tooth trailed off thoughtfully.<p>

While Jack was comforting Jamie inside, she and Bunny took refuge on the roof. There she was filled on what happened two days ago. From Jamie's kidnapping to the battle on what seemed to be an undiscovered part of the earth (which is impossible, even for her), all the way to the battle and the eventual force-feeding of Jack by the flower.

Bunny nodded before continuing in a gruff tone. "But I'm not sure they all do the same thing." He certainly hoped that the other two flowers didn't have the same painful effects as the first, not that he was going to allow Jack to eat any of them just to find out. As he continued to explain the events from earlier, Tooth became more and more concern about him.

"So, what happened after you woke up with Jack in the cave?" she asked, her violet eyes were searching his face as she fluttered over to him.

Bunny bit his bottom lip when she asked that. He wasn't sure just how much detail he should tell her. Despite her seemingly hyperactive nature, she had such a soft and gentle heart. He just didn't know what to say.

"I…I woke up stuck to the wall by the same statues…while Jack was laying on some platform in front of me. He couldn't move…and Flicker came…" then he trailed off and glanced at Tooth, who seemed to be hovering on his every word, urging him to continue. "Then Flicker talked for a while…but then Sandy and North showed up and took him on before anything happened so…"

"Bunny." He recognized that maternal yet stern tone in her voice.

The Pooka looked at the fairy queen nervously, looking into her hardened eyes. She waited for him to tell her all the details, he was avoiding certain parts of the story and she knew it. Bunny let out a deep sigh as his ears dropped backwards. There was a look of pain in his green eyes which quickly filled Tooth with concern.

"I…I just couldn't _do_ anything!" he confessed, raising his arms in front of himself to not only emphasize his words but also his frustrations. "Flicker came and started touching Jack all over while the poor anklebiter was still in pain from the flower! Jack was screaming…and I just…I couldn't…" Then his voice broke off as he breathed heavily, emotionally exhausted from his outburst. Tooth placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder to comfort him, reminding him that it was all over.

Needless to say that she wasn't surprised when she hear that from Bunny's mouth. One would have to be blind not to see the way Flicker looked at Jack at her palace, a look of pure hunger and lust. It still filled her with dread though, knowing that Jack had been touched in such a way, that it would even make her skin crawl underneath her feathers. What even amazed her was how well Jack looked when she saw him, after having gone through such an awful experience.

Unless he was THAT good on hiding…oh, sweet MiM, no…

"He didn't…I mean, did he get so far that he…"

"No." Bunny had cut her off. "North made it before he could get Jack's pants off."

Tooth instantly flushed at how bluntly the Pooka stated it, but she could still see Bunny's green eyes glazed over with a turbulence of emotions. Then he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, placing himself at ease, at least a little.

"It's ok…" he said. "Jack's fine now, that's all that matters."

The fairy queen nodded, smiling softly at the way the Pooka said Jack's name.

_He really does love him._

* * *

><p>Jack smiled sadly as he placed both hands on Jamie's shoulders, gently pushing him back a bit so that he could see him. He looked into those brown, tear-filled eyes and tried his best to keep his composure as much as possible. This is it…he had to say this before either one of them regret it.<p>

"Jamie…I love you so much, but you know we can't be together." He swallowed before continuing. "Not like that."

Jamie squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, not wanting to believe what he was saying as he continued.

"You're going to grow older. You're going to want to get married and have a family. I can't give you those things, Jamie." He could hear the sadness in his own voice, and was quite sure that Jamie could hear it too.

"I-I don't care about those things." The brunet spoke quietly, forcing his voice to stay steady as he peered back into the blue eyes that he had always loved gazing into, even in dreams.

"But you will…I know you will someday."

Jack smiled at him sadly as Jamie shook his head again, trying to fend off the sobs that crept over him. It was hard to accept but it was one of many parts of the harsh reality not only Jamie had to face but him as well. As much as he wanted to, Jack knew he couldn't give him the happiness that Jamie deserves. However, he knew what to do to bring back the smile on his face.

"Come on, Jamie," Jack cooed softly, brushing the hair out of the boy's eyes. "There is still something I want you to have from me."

This made Jamie's sobs cease and his head snapped up to look into his face curiously. The winter spirit let out a chuckle as he hovered upwards and softly floated in front of Jamie on the bed, settling in a kneeling position. He leaned in close, looking into Jamie's wide brown eyes.

I've never kissed anyone before." It came in a soft whisper, but it made Jamie's face lit up and smiled widely. He turned and scooted closer to Jack so that their faces were only inches away.

"Really?" he asked, sounding excited, like the night when he had seen all guardians in one night. "You…you really want me to…?"

"Yup, I want you to be the first one to kiss Jack Frost!" Jack spread his arms out in a dramatic fashion that would rival North's and Jamie laughed at his antics. He wiped the remaining tears out of his eyes as soon as he calmed down, looking at Jack with gratitude. When Jack shifted closer to him, Jamie looked down at the blanket nervously before glancing back into Jack's eyes shyly.

"To be honest…I never kissed anyone either." It was true. Despite having compliments on his good looks, he was a firm believer to share his first kiss with someone he truly loved. So the thought of Jack being the one, he had to thank Sandy for it.

"Good," Jack replied, feeling his own heart swelling with joy. "That means I get to be your first kiss too."

Jamie nodded, his breath hitched as he moved his face closer to Jack's. He watched in fascination as the winter spirit's beautiful blue eyes fluttered closed and his face relaxed. Jamie moved forward slowly, he never wanted to forget this moment. He wanted to keep it locked away in his heart for the rest of his life.

When he gave Jack a chaste kiss as a start, he noticed that his lips were icy cold against his own. But he liked it…he liked being cold, because that meant it was Jack Frost and Jack alone.

Jack was the one he was with right now, and nobody else.

_Jack Frost! _

Jamie couldn't hold back much longer as he pushed his lips more firmly against Jack's, bringing up his hand to tangle in the white locks. He shifted his head and moved his lips against the cold ones.

Jack was uncertain a first, only moving his lips slightly. But he soon followed Jamie's lead, meeting each graze of the brunet's lips with his own movements. He felt the bed shift a bit as Jamie moved, not once releasing from the kiss, and feeling himself being pulled closer when Jamie curled his other arm around his waist. Jack wasn't sure what to do with his own arms, so he let them lay there as he focused on moving his lips. He didn't know when it happened, but somehow Jamie got his warm tongue inside of his mouth. It searched around his teeth and prodded his own cold muscle. While not sure how to react, he experimented by grazing his own tongue with Jamie's, feeling tingling sparks dance up in his spine as he does so.

After a while, they both finally pulled away at the same time, both of them panting for breath. He took note at the fact that Jamie's cheeks were beet red.

Jamie laughed a bit as he examined Jack's face and the effects of his kiss. His cheeks were tinted with a lovely shade of violet and his hair was out of place. His lips looked swollen and had a reddish violet color to his lips. He also noticed that there was a thick layer of frost branching out of his own legs an over the covers to his bed. Jack noticed this as well, examining the frost that he had created with surprise.

"Whoops." He breathed in between pants sheepishly. Jack suddenly realized that his own temperature had dropped dramatically and he could see Jamie's breath as the latter breathed in and out.

He looked back at Jamie with wide eyes.

"That was one Hell of a first kiss, Jamie." It was the first thing that he could think of out loud.

Jamie laughed harder and pulled him back into his arms. "Yeah, I want you to remember it forever." He spoke softly into his ear.

"I will," Jack promised, returning Jamie's hug and snuggled in his arms. "Now, you'll always be my first kiss…even when you're gone and I'm still wandering around this world.

Jamie nodded, smiling in Jack's hair.

"And you'll always be mine."

* * *

><p>Bunny's nose twitched as he turned away from the window. He felt terrible about spying on Jack when he was having a private moment with Jamie, but he was just too curious for his own good. He somewhat regretted watching them kiss, though.<p>

He was proud of Jack for how he handled the situation. If it was Bunny who had to turn down that sweet boy's love, he was sure that Jamie would be bawling his eyes out at the end. But Jamie looked happier than he ever was.

Jack had done well…but Bunny's chest felt heavy as he remembered seeing those two shared their first kiss.

He couldn't deny the fact that they looked good together. Jack was a human after all. If Bunny were to ever kiss Jack like that, it would just look weird, unfit, and unnatural. But after seeing Jack's beautiful face in a blissful state after the kiss had ended…

He sure wanted to kiss him.

He wanted to tackle the boy to the ground and drown him in kisses.

Then the Pooka shook his head and leaped upwards from the windowsill to rejoin Tooth, who made herself comfortable on the chimney as she waited for Jack to finish his visit with Jamie.

* * *

><p>"Jack, why are you blushing?" Tooth giggled as she continued poking him in the cheeks.<p>

"What? I'm not blushing!" He let out a huff as he crossed his arms. "Jack Frost does not blush."

The three of them were traveling in the tunnels at the moment, taking their time on heading back to the North Pole. Jack and Bunny chose to walk while Tooth zipped around them in a delighted frenzy, though it was downplayed whenever she was around a fallen baby tooth. She had been like that since Jack finished up his visit, and noticed him smoothing out his hair and the tell-tale blush on his cheeks.

"Yes, you do!" She chimed playfully. "Your blood is purple and you've been blushing ever since we left Jamie's house!"

"Hmmph." Jack stuck his chin up and pretended to be offended, causing the fairy queen to laugh even louder. There was no point of denying it, if Jack had a mirror, she would be right. Even so, he would still not tell her why. However, Bunny was the only one who wasn't amused.

"Jamie probably did somethin' embarrassing." He grumbled.

Jack shot him an awkward look before shaking it off and jumping into the air.

"Hey, Tooth! Race ya back!" he called as he flew forward through the tunnel.

Tooth laughed merrily as she grinned at the possible challenge. Her wings fluttered a moment before shooting off through the tunnel, zipping past Jack which took him by surprise.

"Last one there has to floss North's teeth!"

Typical of her and her complete obsession with teeth and dental hygiene, but that's one of the few quirks of hers. Bunny let out a chuckle before getting down on all fours to race behind the fairy queen with Jack right in front of him. Jack looked down and stuck his tongue out impishly as he directed the wind to move him faster.

"Ha! Is that all you got, Mate?" Bunny laughed as he leaped in front of him, dashing through the tunnel at full speed.

"Careful, I'm catching up to ya, Kangaroo!" Jack smirked as he picked up the speed, following close behind the Pooka.

Both he and Jack are getting into this mini game, and when they took a sharp turn, Bunny skidded roughly to a halt when he saw Tooth just hovering near the ground just before the hole above that served as an entrance to North's workshop.

"Tooth, what…" Then Bunny yelped when Jack crashed into his back, causing them both to fall onto the dirt floor. Both of them recover with a groan and Jack noticed a look of distress on Tooth's face. Feeling concerned, he hovered upwards to stand in front of her while Bunny rubbed his nose, checking to see if it was broken.

"What's wrong?" he asked, before noticing that her feathers were ruffling frantically. She didn't answer to him right away. She quickly turned to Bunny who looked back to her in confusion.

"Bunny, take Jack to the _Warren_. Now!" It was hushed, nearly a whisper but he could pick up panic in her voice as he pushed himself back onto his feet.

"What? What's goin' on?" His gaze shifted back towards Jack, whose face had hardened in understanding. He knew what Tooth had seen at the top of the tunnel.

"…Flicker's here."


End file.
